Ethiopian Army Chief, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula said that groups that are regrouping in Somalia pose a security threat to Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Army Chief made the remarks after he briefed on the parliament on the achievements of the army for the past 9 months.
However, Berhanu Jula has not cited specifically the enemy forces that are regrouping in Somalia; whether he was referring to Egypt or not.
He said that the objective of the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia was to stabilize the region and to support the Somali Federal Gov’t; however, the situation is closely related to the internal security in Ethiopia.
He revealed that Ethiopia has troops that are present in Somalia for two reasons; those that are part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and others that are stationed in Somalia through a bilateral agreement.
He did not cite the exact number of Ethiopian troops that are in Somalia who are not part of the AUSSOM. He pointed out that the gov’t of Egypt which its relations with Ethiopia strained due to the controversial disagreement pertaining to the Nile River and Renaissance Dam the GERD-is exploiting the political dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia.
