Somalia Denies Losing 100s of its Soldiers to Combat in Tigray

Did Somalia Lose its Soldiers to the Conflict in Tigray?

Somalia’s Information Minister Osman Abukar Dubbe on Tuesday denied claims that hundreds of Somali soldiers have been killed while fighting alongside the Ethiopian army against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

Appearing on Somali National TV (SNTV), the Minister noted that Ethiopia did not request any troops from Somalia.

Referring to the reports as rumours and nonsense, he said, "It is unfortunate that people are trying to find political gains from our national army. We are confirming that the fake news, which is meant for politics and business, that claimed Somali troops training in Eritrea took part in fighting in Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia, is not true."

Dubbe said similar "propaganda was spread in the past claiming Somali soldiers took part in fighting in Libya and Azerbaijan, which was confirmed to be fake."

Contradictory Statements

This statement comes after the former deputy spy chief of Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency, Abdisalan Yusuf Guled, claimed on Monday that over 370 Somali soldiers died while fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict in November last year.

Remarks which sparked fear across the Horn of Africa country as many families are now concerned about their relatives serving in the Somali national army.