Somalia President gives timeline of when Somali troops training in Eritrea to return home

The president of somalia Hassan Sheikh in a speech broadcasted by the state media
Affirmed for the first time that the Somali troops receiving training in Eritrea will begin to return home starting from January and the process will end January 2023.

The 5,000 Somali troops became the center of Somalia political contention after they were reported, sparked a series of protests from parents who were unable to communicate with them.

Soon after his election, Hassan Sheikh met with the parents and promised to bring them back home. Somalia’s previous government had dismissed concerns from parents who were unable to reach their children in training and would not provide details.

A U.N. report in June last year said thousands of Somali troops had taken part in the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, prompting protests by parents who feared their sons were the ones sent to fight.
Somalia’s government denies any of the Somali troops that trained in Eritrea were involved in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict. Some media reports and critics dispute that account and allege some have been killed in Ethiopia.