The United States said this week a number of Somali soldiers were present in the war-hit northern Ethiopian region, corroborating a UN report which revealed whereabouts of missing Somali recruits last month.

“We are aware that there were some Somali troops that were in Ethiopia,” acting assistance secretary for US Bureau of African Affairs, Robert F. Godec said, adding that it was not known if the soldiers were engaged in “actual kind of offensive operations”.

The leader of Wadajir opposition party Abdirahman Abdishakur said the president and the outgoing government “remain silent on the whereabouts of Somali youths taken to Eritrea”.

“It is not known where the PM-appointed team [to probe the case] has gone. The US government has confirmed that Somali troops trained in Eritrea are present in Ethiopia. It is not possible to deny or turn a blind eye to the misery and grievances of parents [whose sons are missing],” Wadajir party leader said on Saturday.

He urged the president and his government to address calls for explanation by parents whose sons are missing since going to Eritrea and bring the youths who are still alive back home and “tell the truth about those killed” in the conflict.

“New evidences emerge from Somalis thought to be receiving military training in Eritrea show they were fighting in Tigray region,” deputy leader of Somalia’s Upper House of Parliament Abshir Bukhari said.

The motive behind sending Somali troops to take part in the war raging in Ethiopia’s north is so far unknown while the federal government in Somalia is dependent on thousands of African Union forces for the fight against Al-Shabaab and protection of security of government compounds in the capital Mogadishu.

Asked about the reason behind the deployment of the soldiers in Ethiopia, Robert F. Godec said they had been trained by Eritrea as a result of agreements between the countries and “that appears to be the reason”.

The remarks have corroborated an exclusive report by Somaliguardian in January which for the first time revealed hundreds of Somali troops had been used as cannon fodder in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict where dozens of them had been killed.

A UN report also confirmed Somali recruits moved from Eritrean military training camps “were present around Aksum”, a town in the war-wrecked region which was under the control of Eritrean forces at the time.

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It comes just a day after US, EU and other foreign allies threatened to impose sanctions on the embattled government over decision to extend its mandate by two years.

On Tuesday, president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo signed into law a “special resolution” extending his tenure in office, drawing condemnation from several western allies.

“While we appreciate the concerns of our friends and international partners for Somalia’s stability and security, it is regrettable to witness champions of democratic principles falling short of supporting the aspirations of the Somali people to exercise their democratic rights,” Somalia’s foreign ministry said in a statement issued late Wednesday,

“Inflammatory statements laden with threats, which undermine the political independence and sovereign rights of national institutions, will only serve to embolden terrorist organizations and anti-peace elements in Somalia.”

In the statement, Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it stood by the lower house of parliament in its vote to extend the president’s term, declaring  it as lawful and necessary to pave the way for free and fair polls.

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“We have stressed repeatedly that it is vital for the peace, stability, prosperity, and governance of Somalia that the Federal Government and Federal Member States reach a consensus on a way forward for the electoral process. We have also made clear that the United States does not support mandate extensions without broad support from Somalia’s political stakeholders, nor does the United States support parallel or partial electoral processes,” US State Department said in a statement.

It stressed that the president’s approval of the term extension legislative would undermine federalism and political reforms.

“Such actions would be deeply divisive, undermine the federalism process and political reforms that have been at the heart of the country’s progress and partnership with the international community, and divert attention away from countering al-Shabaab. They will also further delay holding the promised elections awaited by the Somali people,” statement reads.

The US Department of State stressed that the bill will pose serious obstacles to dialogue and it compel the Biden administration to reevaluate bilateral ties with the government of Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and to consider available options, including sanctions, and visa restrictions against those involved in the mandate extension move.

“Implementation of this bill will pose serious obstacles to dialogue and further undermine peace and security in Somalia. It will compel the United States to reevaluate our bilateral relations with the Federal Government of Somalia, to include diplomatic engagement and assistance, and to consider all available tools, including sanctions and visa restrictions, to respond to efforts to undermine peace and stability,” it added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet that “the decision to extend the Federal Government’s term undermines further the country’s peace and security” and called on Somalia’s federal and regional leaders “to return to talks and agree to a way forward”.

“The extension of the Federal Government’s term deepens Somalia’s political divide. Leaders should return to talks urgently and resolve the electoral crisis. @AmbMursal @AbdiweliMudey @awed_mahad @M_Farmaajo,” US Bureau of African Affairs tweeted.

The US has added its voice to calls for sanctions on Somalia’s government and parliament if demands to rescind the term extension decision are ignored.

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Spokesman for an alliance of opposition presidential candidates Ridwan Mohamed Hersi said the federal government was auctioning deep water offshore blocks during an election period to “obtain money” that would be used for President Farmajo’s reelection bid.

Somali Minister of Energy has traveled from Mogadishu in an overseas trip as he is expected to announce the winners of Somalia’s first petroleum action.

“It is clear-cut that attempts to raise funds have begun,” said spokesman for Somali opposition presidential candidates, adding: “we will soon release a statement over the issue.”

Opposition presidential candidates raised concerns about the move, saying the process is run by an unlawful committee appointed by caretaker government before the current Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble assumed office.

Over the past few weeks, there were reports that President Farmajo invited opposition for talks to end deadlock over elections, however, Mr Hersi told press on Saturday that prospects for an immediate breakthrough were receding.

A body dubbed as the National Elections Salvation Commission has been announced at an opposition meeting ongoing in Mogadishu for the third week, which presidential candidates against the incumbent president noted would create an environment conducive for inclusive elections.

Hours after US President Donald Trump ordered withdrawing nearly all US troops from Somalia, Somali opposition leaders added their voices to those concerned about the implications of the move and indicated that it exposed the failure of the current administration in restoring stability.

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Somali Minister of Information Osman Abokor Dube said the Kenyan government crossed all boundaries of good neighbor diplomacy and instead chose to pursue the annexation of parts of Somalia’s territory.

Speaking to media on Wednesday, Mr Dube described Kenya’s interference in Somalia’s internal affairs as similar to Ethiopia Tigray regime’s treatment of the Somali government and complimented the current Ethiopian administration under Abiy Ahmed for bringing an end to the legacy of Tigrayan government.

It comes days after Somalia summoned back its ambassador to Nairobi Mohamud Nur Tarsan and expelled his Kenyan counterpart in Mogadishu. The move triggered worsening of already strained relations.

Somali government said the decision was taken in response to Kenya’s interference in Somalia elections, but its opposition called for rescinding the expulsion of Kenyan envoy, saying the move was made to stoke domestic nationalism and advance the incumbent president’s reelection bid.

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Experts believe the migratory pests, spurred by favorable weather conditions will soon take to the skies despite concerted use of pesticides, after descending on parts of central Somalia.

Local officials in the town of Adado have told local media on Sunday that nearby rural areas saw insects bulking up, devastating crops and pasture, raising fear they may cross to other parts of the region and the country as a whole.

The new invasion comes several months after first wave terrorized farmers in a region where millions of people struggle for food as new-season crops are being planted in Somalia’s south.

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In a statement posted on his official facebook account, Mr Osoble reiterated that Mohamed Hussein Roble became the most expensive PM in Somalia’s history as gaining access to his office proved a considerably hard task.

The former Somali regional president stated “two officials responsible for protocol duties of the Prime Minister’s office separately asked me to pay $300 to arrange meeting with the PM”. Mr Osoble added that it was possible that the PM was not aware of the corrupt process, which he described as a deplorable misdemeanor.

It is a common practice at Somalia’s government institutions to pay bribes for arranging meetings with senior officials or processing applications for public services.

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Somaliguardian received information that Ethiopian Finance Minister Ahmed Shide will ask president Bihi about recent talks held with an Egyptian delegation that paid an official visit to Hargeisa amid escalation of tensions over filling of Nile dam.

More recently, there have been reports indicating possibility of Egypt building a military base in Somaliland to defend its interests and pressure Ethiopia to stop the filling of mega dam.

Officials at Somaliland’s presidential palace have confirmed to Somaliguardian that a meeting was arranged between president Bihi and the Ethiopian delegation which is going to take place within the next few hours.

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Retail investors, known locally as ants, were a force in a 50% stock-price surge after a virus-induced sell-off in March.

From then through May, however, those seeking help for trading-related addictive behaviour reached 214, showed data from the Korea Center on Gambling Problems. The growth rate eclipsed the overall 16% rise in calls seeking help.

The trend is a worrying sign of things to come should social distancing practices such as work-from-home become the norm, experts said, as isolated individuals have even fewer mechanisms such as peer support to check addictive behaviour.

Compulsive stock trading also lacks the social stigma that may act as a deterrent toward traditional forms of gambling, even though the stimulation behind both is similar, they said.

South Korea has not enforced any virus-busting lockdown measures, even during the height of the outbreak in the country over February and March. Nevertheless, people and businesses by and large have followed government guidelines and refrained from social gatherings and instituted work-from-home arrangements.

One such individual was 35-year-old bank employee surnamed Lee. He has been trading shares online for over a year since hearing of a friend who made a windfall through frequently buying and selling stocks based on rumour and speculation.

Though Lee has seen some success – once making a profit of several hundred thousand dollars in a single trade – increased trading time afforded by working-from-home culminated last month in him losing 1.2 billion won ($1 million) over five days.

On the insistence of his wife, he said, he subsequently sought help from a gambling addiction counsellor.

“We tend to see an influx of people seeking help after a huge market dive,” said Kim Yeon-su, treatment manager at the Korea Center on Gambling Problems help centre in Seoul. “It happened with Bitcoin and now it’s happening with stocks.”

Active trading accounts – the bulk of which belong to retail investors – rose 2.8 million from mid-January through mid-July, versus 1.6 million in the same period last year, financial association data showed.

The surge was reflected in the July listing of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co Ltd, where each share on offer for retail investors attracted 323 prospective buyers whose down-payments totalled 31 trillion won. The successful buyers saw their investment more than quintuple in four days.

Investor message boards on South Korea’s dominant internet search portal see high traffic throughout trading hours with posts such as, “I want to become a king ant” and “I was robbed today as usual”, plus discussion of obscure stocks and preferred shares.

Mental health experts said trading can become high-stakes gambling, with little to hold back the trader when they can trade easily online at home and often on credit.

“Some of these people are buying, selling, buying, selling… To become a gambler, you need immediate stimulation to the brain. Invest in stable things, wait three months – they don’t do this,” said psychiatrist Shin Young-chul at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital.

“For a person for whom 400 million won goes back and forth in a day, can they stay engaged in their job that earns 2 million won a month?”