Somalia today accused Ethiopia of transporting unauthorized weapon shipments to Puntland and 2 other regional states of Somalia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia issued a statement in this regard. The ministry said that it “condemns the unauthorized shipment of arms and ammunition transported via Ethiopian territory to Somalia’s Puntland region. This action constitutes a grave infringement on Somalia’s sovereignty and poses serious implications for national and regional security.”
The ministry claimed to be in possession of evidence about this illegal delivery of arms from Ethiopia to Puntland. “Documented evidence confirms the arrival of two lorries transporting weapons from Ethiopia to Puntland region of Somalia, executed without any diplomatic engagement or clearance, signaling a clear breach of Somalia’s territorial sovereignty,” the MoFA of Somalia said in today’s statement.
The ministry further accused Ethiopia of illegally supplying weapons to two other regional states of Somalia. “This latest incident mirrors previous unauthorized arms shipments from Ethiopia, with reports of weapons being transported similarly to the Galmudug region and another cache flown into Baidoa via aircraft,” it said.
Ethiopia and Somalia have been involved in a dispute since the start of this year. Their diplomatic relations are cut off. Egypt is supplying weapons to the government of Somalia, while Ethiopia seems to be transporting arms to Somaliland, Puntland, Galmudug and South West states of Somalia.
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