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Army chief criticised over remarks on Ethiopia's role in Somalia

Field Marshall Berhanu Jula, the chief of general staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force. (Photo: ENA)

By Hanifa Adan | 12 Mar 2024

Berhanu claimed the Somalia government had moved from being "extremely grateful" to "completely disregarding" Ethiopia's support in the fight against the Al-Shabaab

Ethiopian army chief Field Marshal Berhanu Jula has come under sharp criticism following his interview on Ethiopia's role in Somalia.

In a video posted by the Addis Standard on Monday, Berhanu claimed the Somalia government, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, had moved from being "extremely grateful" to "completely disregarding" Ethiopia's support in the fight against the Al-Shabaab.

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He also claimed the Ethiopian military once controlled around 60 per cent of Somalia's land mass, which, he suggested, has enabled Somalia to remain in Mogadishu.

"Since we withdrew from Kismayu, we now control slightly less than 60 per cent. If the Ethiopian army were to withdraw from Somalia, I doubt the Federal Government would remain in Mogadishu," says the Chief of General Staff.

These remarks angered a section of Somalia, which termed them "irresponsible".

Faisal Roble wrote on X, "How irresponsible is it for Field Marshal Berhanu Jula to claim he controls 60 per cent of Somalia's land mass, while he probably has soldiers stationed in limited locations as part of the international intervention?"

Harun Maruf, a journalist, questioned the effectiveness of Ethiopian troops operating in Somalia.

"It is widely believed by security experts that Al-Shabaab recruited massively during the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) presence from 2006," he said.

"Ethiopia has troops operating in Somalia that are not part of the AU mission. Some experts are questioning the effectiveness of the current ENDF forces in light of the gruelling conflicts that have been taking place within Ethiopia in recent years."

Others called on the Ethiopian military to leave Somalia. "Well, Somalia will welcome the Ethiopian military to leave. Perhaps they can police their own country," another Somalia citizen said on X.

Red Sea access dispute, ATMIS drawdown

Berhanu's remarks came amid the dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia over the latter's Red Sea access deal with Somaliland for commercial and military use, in exchange for Somaliland's possible recognition as an independent state and a stake in the national Ethiopian Airlines.

Both Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan assert their commitment to a peaceful resolution. While Hassan defends Somalia's sovereignty against recognising Somaliland's independence, Abiy aims to address Ethiopia's landlocked challenges.

To support Somalia's war on Al-Shabaab, Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda have sent troops there as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

ATMIS was given a more offensive remit when it took over in April 2022 from AMISOM.