Ethiopia has pulled out thousands of its troops from Somalia thus sparking fears of increased insecurity in the weeks leading up to elections.
The troops have been part of the forces helping Somalia to fight insurgency in the country.
They have played a huge role in enabling the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) to fend off the increasing presence of Al-Shabaab extremists around the country.
The decision by the Ethiopian government might have been based on the need to deploy more forces to the Tigray region.
Currently, the country has deployed around 3,000 troops to the region.
Sources have indicated that the troops being withdrawn are not part of the 5,000-strong African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces.