While the African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is nearing its end at the end of December 2024, a surprising and critical situation has emerged involving several Ethiopian soldiers currently in Somalia.
According to an intelligence officer of the Somali National Army, a number of these soldiers have expressed their desire to stay in Somalia as refugees instead of going back to Ethiopia. They hope to find asylum in a third country after their mission is over.
These soldiers, who are mostly stationed in the Bay, Bakool and Gedo regions of Somalia, are said to not want to return to Ethiopia, due to internal conflicts that have plagued their homeland since 2022.
Ethiopian families face violence, kidnapping and ransom payments from various parties involved in the war.
According to Somali military sources, some Ethiopian soldiers have secretly told their Somali counterparts that the armed groups in Ethiopia are targeting their families.
They claim that the situation has become so difficult that these soldiers fear for their lives if they were to go back to their country. As a result, they see Somalia as safer, at least as long as they find refuge in a third country that protects them from the violence of Ethiopia.
