Sources confirmed that the arrested men illegally used their vehicles to export livestock from Ethiopia to the port of Berbera in Somaliland.
“Ten of my colleagues were captured today in Galgadud region because they used fake Ethiopian number plates,” said a Somali driver who spoke to Somalia Report on the condition of anonymity.
This is not the first time Ethiopian troops have arrested truck drivers in border towns. On March 28th of this year, 64 trucks belonging to Somali traders were seized. In 2008, Ethiopians also accused Somalis of collecting revenues from civilian trucks during the Kala-Beyr transit in Hiiraan.
The port of Berbera has become the largest livestock exporter in the war-torn country since November 2009, and most of the goods to and from Ethiopia trade through the port.
(Translated by Hussein Moulid)