Doha (SD) – The Qatari government has spoken out against the controversial issue of Somali youths allegedly taken to Eretria for military training and called for an immediate investigation on the matter.

A statement from the Qatari government requested that the governments of Somalia and Eritrea investigate the allegations of betrayal of Somali youths in Eritrea.

“The State of Qatar condemns any abusive and duplicitous recruitment of any individual who was falsely told they were moving to Qatar for employment opportunities. The State of Qatar stands against such practices and urges all governments to investigate such abuses that make up human trafficking,” read the statement.

The Qatari government added “unfortunately, vulnerable groups often fall prey to false offers and fake promises of residency. To combat this issue, Qatar has introduced government visa centers in many countries from which guest workers normally come, as a preventative step to protect them from accepting false offers.”

The Somali government did not comment on Qatar’s statement, partly because it would like the issue to disappear from the headlines.

Qatar has been accused of knowing about the deception of these young Somalis who were initially told they would be taken to Qatar but were dropped off at military bases in Eretria.

The statement from Qatar comes amid reports that Somali youths trained in Eritrea have been recruited to fight in the Tigrean region, where many have been killed.