The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) has denied reports appearing on the media over the weekend stating that Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers took part in the Tigray conflict.
Reports of SNA’s involvement in the Tigray conflict were widely attributed to a former Deputy Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).
Abdisalam Guled, a former Deputy Director of NISA, said that over 370 SNA soldiers aged 20-30 years had died in Tigray during last year’s conflict.
On January 18, Osman Abukar Dubbe, the Minister of Information, told Somalia National TV that reports of the country’s involvement in the Tigray war were “mere fabrications.”
Furthermore, he told the media that Ethiopia never requested Somalia to send its soldiers to Tigray to support Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF).
Guled’s sentiments came just after it was revealed that senior ENDF officers had visited Somalia secretly for a meeting with President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.