Ethiopia rescues kidnapped Djiboutian soldiers
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- Posted On 22-12-2022, 01:06PM
ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia has announced securing of the release of kidnapped members of the Djiboutian Defense Forces who fell into the hands of FRUD militants in the Horn of Africa nation and whose captivity had triggered ripples in the region.
Ethiopia's Foreign Affairs department confirmed the incident with Director General Fisha Shewal saying the government with cooperation from the Afar regional authorities secured the release of six Djiboutian soldiers who have since been handed over to their country.
The federal government of Ethiopia, he added, was working closely to settle insecurity problems along the border with Djibouti which could hamper the bilateral relationship between the two nations, which have been working together for decades.
Djibouti’s Ministry of Defense said seven soldiers were killed on the Tadjourah Regiment of the Djibouti army at Garabistan on the evening of 06 October 2022, which also injured four soldiers; six others are reported missing. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti, vowed that “all these miscreants will be prosecuted, arrested, and brought to justice.
FRUD, a militant splinter rebel group of Front for Restoration and Democracy that claims to fight for the autonomy of the Afar people, has been kidnapping people across the two countries. The Afar people are domiciled both in Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Djibouti accused the group of conducting “odious and criminal acts of terrorizing and looting people from remote areas of the country” and said reinforcements were sent out and “the pursuit is underway.”
Ethiopia condemned the attack as “barbaric and cowardly” and said it stands in solidarity with the Government and people of Djibouti “at this difficult moment and expresses its full readiness to closely work together with the Government of the Republic of Djibouti in tackling the scourge of terrorism in the region.”
Similarly, the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development [IGAD], Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, condemned the attack by an armed group and denounced the attack in the “strongest terms possible” and called it “criminal and cowardly.”
In Djibouti, the FRUD rebel group has been designated as a terrorist organization and there have been deliberate efforts to neutralize the militants. The Horn of Africa is increasingly becoming home to an armed group, even after the African Union called for the silencing of guns across the continent.
GAROWE ONLINE
