A massive movement of Ethiopian troops where spotted on the move in Bay province. Sources that spoke to Halgan Media reveal hundreds of ENDF personnel flooded into the town of Awdhinle with armored vehicles.

The troops than reportedly began setting up positions in and around the town according to sources. The Halgan Media service desk reached out to residents in the town of Awdhiinle for further comment, however only a handful where willing to speak out.

One resident who we’ll call Faysal said the unprecedented number of Ethiopian troops that flooded into the town frightened local residents. Many families remained in doors out of fear. When asked further on the impact the troop build up had on the towns residents, Faysal said children couldn’t even attend there daily madrassa classes. 

That in itself is a small glimpse on the fear that many Somalis have of the foreign troops on there soil. Many of these Foreign troops routinely carry out horrific atrocities and even war crimes therefore are reviled by the vast majority of civilians in the conflict ridden nation (Somalia).

Those that reside in the town of Awdhiinle and other parts of Bay province have been especially impacted by the countless massacres and human rights abuses carried out by the foreign forces. The perpetrators of these heinous crimes (Foreigners) often justify there actions under the guise of the US led war on terror.

The province of Bay and even neighboring Bakool province for the most part are sealed off to outsiders, including the Somali heads of state. These two provinces which make up of the bulk of southwest Somalia can only be described as an open air prison.

Large swaths of territory in these two provinces are either occupied by Ethiopian troops or under the rule of the Al Qaeda affiliated armed group Al Shabaab. Rarely, if ever do journalists and aid groups venture into these provinces.

The only sign of normalcy can be seen in the city of Baydhabo, which remains the seat of power for the autonomous Southwest regional state. However even in Baydhabo, key government assets such as the airport are under the full control of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) which routinely humiliate passengers as they board and unboard flights at the local airstrip.

A third hand at play

Ethiopia and Al Shabaab aren’t the only armed actors in the region. Just like in many other instances, the Somali crisis is being prolonged by multi faced third parties and in the case of Bay and Bakool that dirty hand at work is the disgraced paramilitary leader Erik Prince.

Erik Prince’s role in Somalia is most certainly not new, however its getting more prevalent by the day. What began as shipping in Mercenaries to back a fragile transitional government in a war against Jihadists has now morphed into a chess game of geopolitics masked under the guise of development and security. 

The Frontier Service Group (FGS) formerly known as Blackwater has solidified its presence in Somalia and no where is that more real than the provinces of Bay and Bakool. A deal struck in 2017 on the pretext of a security arrangement for Somalia’s autonomous southwest state has led to a vast and unprecedented militarization of the region (Bay and Bakool). This shady deal, like many others was not brought before the parliament for review for obvious reasons.

This in part has turned a nearly inaccessible region (Bay and Bakool) into a killing field at the mercy of US drones and allied foreign forces. The authorities in Mogadishu tend to be tight lipped over the situation in this resource rich region, however the facts on the ground speak for themselves.

The Halgan Media service desk will publish a series of reports early next week further touching up on this topic. For further inquiries feel free to contact us via email.

Email : info@halganmedia.net