Addis Ababa (SD) – Ethiopia celebrated yesterday the victory of its army, with the help of other countries, in the 1977 war between Somalia and Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy Ethiopia issued a statement on the success of the country’s victory at the Karamardha battle and called Somalia’s attack wrong.

“Similar to the foreign powers that once occupied Ethiopia, Mohamed Siyad Barre made a big mistake, he thought it was the right time to occupy Ethiopia. He thought he could defeat us, and our country was weak. But his calculations were wrong, when he attacked us,” Abiy said.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed added Ethiopia has defeated Somalia without proper training, thanking Yemen and Cuban armies who helped against the Somali army.

“Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam mobilized the masses, who were given emergency training and were able to inflict heavy losses on the attacking Somali forces,” he said.

The current President of the Somali federal government Mohamed Farmajo, who is a close family member of the former Somali dictator Siyad Barre is yet to respond to Abey Ahmed’s statement.

President Farmajo who plays the patriot role very well, is known for defending Siyad Barre’s atrocities. But doesn’t seem to have the political spine to defend his uncle against the Ethiopian Prime minister.

Other Prominent Somali politicians including the Ethiopian Somali state President Mustapha Agjar responded to Abiy Ahmed’s comments on Somalia’s war with Ethiopia, high lighting the sacrifices made by many Somali soldiers.

They all have criticized the statement’s divisive massage in an era were the nations are both traying to heal from that war.

Abiy Ahmed’s statement comes at a time when him and the Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo are close and at the same time Farmajo believes Abiy can help him secure his presidency.