Ethiopia to withdraw over 3,000 troops from Somalia

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Ethiopia plans to withdraw more than 3,000 troops from Somalia as fighting escalates in its north, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The pullout could begin in the coming days or weeks, Bloomberg said. The troops would be redeployed to areas affected by fighting between government forces, Tigray forces and allied Fano insurgents, it said.

A Somali defence ministry official said Mogadishu had not been informed of any such plan. Neither Ethiopia, Somalia nor the African Union has publicly announced any change to Ethiopia’s deployment.

It was not clear whether the plan would affect Ethiopian troops serving under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), forces deployed under bilateral arrangements, or both.

Ethiopia is one of Somalia’s main military partners in operations against Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group, and has been a key partner in defending the city of Baidoa.

The latest fighting in northern Ethiopia began on Aug 1 with clashes near the Sudan border and escalated last week, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

Tensions between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the federal government have risen since a 2022 peace deal ended the two-year Tigray war.

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