Had Disappeared, Somali Government Will Repatriate 5,000 Troops From Eritrea

JAKARTA - Somalia immediately repatriated 5,000 men sent to train in Eritrea as soldiers, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, after months of protests by the parents of men who claimed their children had been recruited under false pretenses and taken captive.

Initial reports of thousands of missing people sparked protests in the capital Mogadishu and several cities in January 2021. Months later, a Somali intelligence agent investigating the case was killed.

Last week, newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with soldiers in Eritrea, his office said, without saying how much had been taken. His predecessors have refused to answer questions on the matter.

"They are 5,000 soldiers who went missing and are now found. The previous government didn't communicate with people about those soldiers so people were just spreading rumours. The process to bring them home is ongoing," Abdikarim Ali Kar, Mohamud's spokesman, told journalists, launches Reuters July 19.

He denied reports that the men were being held against their will in Eritrea, although the family said they had been unable to contact the recruits since they were taken.

To note, relations between Somali, Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders warmed after Ethiopia's leadership changed in 2018. Eritrea is often described as "African North Korea" because of its repression, use of forced labor and surveillance of its citizens.