Mogadishu – The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) have moved into Jijiga, the capital of the Somali Regional State (SRS) in Ethiopia, and have strategically positioned themselves in key installations after a break down of relations between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Somali regional President Abdi Mohamoud Omar Abdi Iley‘the one-eyed’. Supporters of Omar, who has led the Somali region since 2005, have reportedly taken to the streets to protest the Federal Ethiopian troops presence while regional officials who spoke via Facebook denounced the move by the military as a “coup”.
Ethiopian troops are said to be in control of the Presidential Palace, House of Parliament, Jigjiga Convention Hall, ministries offices and the TV station.