Ethiopia is preparing to withdraw more than 3,000 troops from Somalia as renewed fighting inside the country forces Addis Ababa to redirect military resources towards a rapidly escalating conflict in the north.
The troops could begin leaving Somalia within days or weeks, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the plans. A Somali defence official, however, said Mogadishu had not been formally notified of an Ethiopian withdrawal.
Any significant reduction in Ethiopia’s military presence could create new security concerns along the Ethiopia-Somalia border, where Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab remains active.
Ethiopia previously withdrew thousands of soldiers from Somalia in 2020 after war erupted in its northern Tigray region, redeploying forces to support military operations at home.
The latest reported withdrawal comes as heavy fighting has again spread across northern Ethiopia, threatening to unravel the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement that ended the two-year Tigray war.
Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters captured the strategically important town of Alamata this week after days of fighting, according to diplomatic sources and other reports. Alamata lies on a key route towards Mekelle, the capital of Tigray.
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said hospitals it supports have received a sharp influx of war casualties since fighting intensified.
More than 420 war-wounded patients were received at hospitals in Korem and Alamata between September 22 and 25, while more than 300 wounded people arrived at Suhul Hospital in Shire by September 25, MSF said. The organisation has suspended its work at Alamata hospital because of deteriorating security.
The renewed hostilities involve Ethiopia’s federal military and forces from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and their respective allies. Both sides have accused the other of undermining the peace agreement.
The escalation has also raised fears of a broader regional conflict. Ethiopia’s army chief has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting Tigrayan forces, allegations denied by Eritrea and Sudan.
The previous Tigray war, fought between 2020 and 2022, killed hundreds of thousands of people through fighting, hunger and the collapse of health services before the Pretoria agreement brought large-scale hostilities to an end.
The apparent redeployment from Somalia underscores the growing pressure on Ethiopia’s armed forces as Addis Ababa confronts renewed fighting across several fronts while continuing security operations elsewhere in the Horn of Africa.
