Protests for young soldiers taken to Eritrea continue for second day in Mogadishu

Demonstrations are taking place in Mogadishu for the second day in a row demanding the return of Somali soldiers taken to Eritrea for training after reports emerged that they involved in the fighting in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.

Today’s demonstration was lead by the parents of the soldiers taken to Eritrea and other members of the public, and took place at the same place as yesterday at the KM4 junction in Mogadishu.

Protesters chanted slogans against federal government officials after expressing their concern, with many shouting “where are our children?” And “If we can’t save the dead, let’s save the rest.”

Some of the parents, who spoke to the media in tears, demanded that the outgoing President to address the issue so that they can obtain official information on the situation of the young people taken to Eritrea.

Anger of parents increased after the United Nations announced that the soldiers involved in the fighting in the north of Ethiopia involved Somali troops who were taken to Eritrea initially for training.

Somali politicians, especially in the opposition, have also spoken out strongly, declaring that the young soldiers have been sold and that they will take responsibility to the outgoing government officials, starting with the outgoing president. 

There is no official statement from the federal government of Somalia regarding the situation of the youths, except from the Minister of Information who spoke to the media in Mogadishu yesterday saying that the soldiers are on a training mission.

However, the soldiers who have been deployed to Eritrea have been missing for two years, and there is growing concern about the situation of the youths, some of whom have reportedly fled their camps.