Ethiopian government has denied Somali allegations that Ethiopian troops operating under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) launched an attack on Somali National Army (SNA) forces in the Doolow district of the Gedo region in Jubbaland state administration.
In a statement released Tuesday, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rebuffed the accusations, pointing them as baseless and instigated by unnamed elements to derail the building up better relations between Ethiopia and Somalia.
“The allegation is not true,” the statement read. It further claimed that third parties, intent on destabilizing the Horn of Africa, were behind the incident. These actors, the ministry stated, are perennial spoilers of peace in the region and should not be allowed to undermine the commitment of Ethiopia and Somalia to stability.
The Ethiopian government reiterated its dedication to strengthening bilateral ties with Somalia as expressed in the Ankara Declaration, which emphasizes collaboration and regional peace. “Ethiopia values and upholds its commitment to revitalize and deepen the fraternal relations between the two countries,” the statement added, highlighting the ongoing efforts to bolster regional cooperation and partnerships.
Somalia’s federal government condemned Ethiopian troop launching dreadful attack on Somalia’s military, police and national intelligence forces bases in southwestern Somali bordering town of Dolow.
The issues were coming at a time when high level delegation led by Somalia’s federal government state minister of foreign affairs arrived in Addis Ababa where they now held talks with Ethiopian diplomats in order to discuss best ways to go ahead and implement Ankara agreements.
