(09-03-24) MOGADISHU (Halqabsi News) — Ethiopian military forces have been reported entering areas under the administration of SSC-Khatumo, engaging in regions currently contested by Somaliland, according to official sources. The movements, specifically in Riyo-Xidho, Sibidhley, and Candho Dhexe, as well as other villages within the SSC, were noted on Friday and Saturday.
This military incursion follows a series of discussions held in Hargeisa last week, where Ethiopian officials convened with leaders from Somaliland. The deployment is purportedly aimed at bolstering security in the northern regions of Sool and Sanaag, areas where Somaliland forces experienced territorial losses to SSC-Khatumo forces last September, sources close to the Somaliland administration in Hargeisa revealed.
However, the Ethiopian troops’ presence has met with resistance from local figures. Abdulqadir Ahmed Aw-Ali Firdhiye, leader of the SSC-Khatumo Transitional Administration, has vocally opposed the intervention. “We can’t accept it, we don’t accept it. We are responsible for our people and our country,” declared Aw-Ali Firdhiye on Thursday, emphasizing the administration’s rejection of external military involvement.
The arrival of Ethiopian troops in the contested territories of Khatumo has escalated tensions amid existing disagreements between the Somali Federal Government and Ethiopia, especially concerning maritime ambitions following the memorandum of understanding between Somaliland and Ethiopia.
Halqabsi News
