Ethiopia's Somali Regional State speaks publicly for the first time about the Somali soldiers who crossed the border, saying the case is going through legal and diplomatic channels
Regional security bureau head Abdulkadir Rashid Duale says the soldiers arrived in Jigjiga in groups with no clearly defined purpose. Somalia says they were given leave to visit their families.

Somalia national security adviser Aways Haji Yusuf said the soldiers had been given permission to visit their families and that the federal government knew they were in Ethiopia, adding that they were trained at the Xananbuurre camp in Galgaduud with Saudi financial support. Abdulkadir Rashid Duale, head of the security bureau of Ethiopia Somali Regional State, said they arrived in Jigjiga in separate groups without sufficient documentation. Their number is still unconfirmed, and a report that about 220 were moved to Addis Ababa has not been confirmed by Ethiopian authorities.
Abdulkadir Rashid Duale, head of the security bureau of Ethiopia's Somali Regional State, said publicly for the first time that Somali National Army soldiers entered Jigjiga in groups and that the case is being handled through the legal and diplomatic channels of both countries. Kulu Media and The Eastleigh Voice carried the account.
Abdulkadir Rashid Duale, head of the security bureau of Ethiopia's Somali Regional State, said publicly for the first time that Somali National Army soldiers crossed the border and arrived in Jigjiga in groups with no clearly defined purpose. He said the matter is being handled through the legal and diplomatic channels of both countries, that further details will be released once verified, and he urged the public not to spread unverified accounts. The Eastleigh Voice said the soldiers, numbering in the hundreds, have since been moved to Dire Dawa. Somalia's national security adviser Aways Haji Yusuf has said the men completed Saudi-funded training in Galgaduud and were given leave to visit their families, and that the federal government knew where they were. Neither government has given a figure, said where the men are being held, or announced a date for their return. Reported numbers range from 180 to 900 and have not been independently verified.
