The Ethiopian forces in Somalia amount to around 10,000 soldiers, with only 3 percent of them being part of the ATMIS peacekeeping mission of the African Union (AU).
Ethiopia has thus become the country with the largest number of troops in Somalia, including the troops registered in ATMIS and those it has brought into Somalia on its own.
The second country, Uganda, has less than 7,000 ATMIS soldiers.
According to the German International Institute (SWP) which is based in Berlin, Addis Ababa has sent its own troops to Somalia, to control the ability of Al-Shabaab to attack Ethiopia itself.
However, this action has led to the strengthening of the conflict between the government of Somalia and the Ethiopian forces operating outside the law of the African Union.
The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has recently expressed concern about the influence of the Ethiopian forces in Somalia, citing as an example that the Ethiopian forces took control of the Gedo airport and armed the tribes.
A few days ago, the Minister of Defense of Somalia said that Ethiopia will not participate in the new mission of the African Union, because he said that it violated the independence of Somalia.
