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Probe Ethiopian troops outside AMISOM, FNP tells UN Security Council

Storyline:National News

The Forum for National Parties (FNP) has called on the UN to investigate the presence of Ethiopian troops outside the AMISOM framework in Somalia noting this ran counter to the UNSC resolutions and threatened the country’s political stability.

The six parties coalition said Monday the UN should conduct independent investigations into the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENF) operating in Somalia against the African Union and UN Security Council directives.

“The growing presence of Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) constitutes a blatant violation of the UN Security Council’s resolution 733 (1992), which placed an arms embargo on Somalia,” FNP said.

The FNP which brings together Himilo Qaran, Union for Peace and Development Party, National Progressive Party, Xisbiga Kulan, Xisbiga Nabadda and Ilays Party reiterated its warning against ENDF troops in the country.

FNP said the number of ENDF troops outside AMISOM  was ‘growing’ and constituted a blatant violation of UN Security Council’s resolution 733 (1992), which placed an arms embargo on Somalia’.

“We take this opportunity to renew our call to the UN Security Council to independently verify the presence of non-AMISOM troops inside Somalia,” FNP said adding, “We urge the Council to take necessary actions to ensure that Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence remains inviolable.”

Noting that Ethiopia had a ‘long and ugly history of perennially intervening in Somalia’, FNP said, the unhindered entry of ENDF into the country risked weakening the ‘political independence of the country’ and aimed at ‘pursuing narrow political objectives’.

The UN Security Council last month extended the mandate of AMISOM in Somalia setting the maximum number of troops ta 19, 626.