Ethiopian military critical to Somalia's stability, anti-terror war - army chief

Ethiopian army chief Field Marshal Berhanu Jula has criticised the change in tone from Somalia's leadership towards his country's contribution to the peacekeeping mission there.

Berhanu, the chief of general staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, said Somalia's leaders have disregarded the value and respect their people have for the Ethiopian military.

He claims the Somalia government, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has moved from being "extremely grateful" to "completely disregarding" Ethiopia's support in the fight against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.

Berhanu discussed Ethiopia's role in Somalia in a recent interview in which he claimed the Ethiopian military once controlled around 60 per cent of Somalia's land mass, which, he suggested, has enabled the Government of 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,"  the army chief says in the interview, as captured in a video the Addis Standard published on Twitter.

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.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says he has no ill will towards Somalia and both he and President Hassan have said they want a peaceful resolution, now war.

Hassan is defending his country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, given Somaliland is a breakaway region of Somalia, while Abiy is seeking to secure a population challenged by the landlocked nature of their country.

Safety reasons

Berhanu further claimed many people in Somalia trust and want the Ethiopian military's presence for security reasons, where the Al-Shabaab is concerned, and that Ethiopia has made sacrifices to prevent the militants from gaining control of Somalia.

"The people of Somalia want to leave with the army if we are to withdraw because they feel safe in the presence of our military," he said, insisting that their support should be remembered in history books.

The Ethiopian army's mission in Somalia is due in mid-2024 with the probability of continuity or termination depending on the international community and Somalia's leadership.

Ethiopia has thousands of troops in Somalia serving as part of the African Union Transition Mission (ATMIS) and other forces there based on arrangements with the government since 2014.

Ethiopia deployed hundreds of troops to Somalia's Gedo region to prevent Al-Shabaab militants from crossing over. This came after the Ethiopian military said its security forces killed more than 800 Al-Shabaab fighters in response to a rare cross-border attack.

ATMIS drawdown

President Hassan has reiterated his commitment to the war on Al-Shabaab, saying he will not stop until victory is attained.

He has praised ATMIS for its achievements so far, saying Somalia would not have made as much progress without it and the support of its predecessor AMISOM - the African Union Mission in Somalia.

"He also expressed gratitude for the support provided to Somalia by various partners and appealed for more assistance to equip and help build the capacity of the Somali Security Forces.," says an August 2023 statement by the African Union (AU), following a meeting regarding security matters including the ATMIS drawdown of troops.

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

In February, it completed its Phase Two drawdown, which involved reducing the troop count in Somalia by 3,000. The first two phases saw a reduction of 5,000 soldiers but some 14,600 members drawn from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are still deployed in Somalia.

Under a UN calendar, the mission will have pulled out totally from the Horn of Africa nation by the end of the year, handing over to Somali security forces.

Meanwhile, Somalia has formalised a new Defence and Economic Cooperation Agreement with Turkey that will see that country train and provide equipment to the Somali Navy, helping Mogadishu protect its maritime resources and territorial waters from threats such as terrorism, piracy and foreign interference.