|
|
|
|
|
Somalia elder arrested for denouncing
extraditions to Ethiopia |
May 4, 2008 -
10:22:32 AM
GALKAYO, Somalia May 4 (Garowe Online) - A
traditional elder in northern Somalia's
Puntland region was arrested by local police
Sunday morning after giving an interview to
the BBC yesterday, relatives said.
Abdalla Jama Jibril, an elder based in the
Puntland town of Galkayo, was taken from his
home by Puntland police and transported to
an unknown location, his son told Garowe
Online.
During his interview with the BBC Somali
Service, Mr. Jibril condemned the arbitrary
arrests of several Somali civilians by
Puntland authorities, some of whom were
later extradited to Ethiopia. [ READ:
Puntland extradites more Somali civilians to
Ethiopian govt: Report]
Mohamed Adan Muse, chairman of the Galkayo-based
Abdullahi Isse Human Rights group, has
condemned Mr. Jibril's arrest as a violation
upon the right to speak freely.
The human rights group was also very
critical of several civilians arrested by
Puntland police for yet-unspecified reasons.
All the detained persons were unarmed
civilians with clan ties to Ethiopia's
Ogaden region, which has an ethnically
Somali population and has been wracked by
armed conflict led by Ogaden National
Liberation Front (ONLF) rebels since the
1990s.
Last month, two ONLF political officers were
the first to be arrested in Puntland and
later extradited to Ethiopia.
The government of Puntland denies the
allegations, but a senior Puntland army
commander reportedly told Puntland-based
news agency Horseed Media that the regional
government has nothing to do with the
arrests.
Col. Abdishakur Abdullahi, the acting
military commander in Mudug region where
Galkayo is based, said Ethiopian security
forces have the "permission" to conduct
operations in "any part of Somalia,"
according to a Horseed Media report.
The Ethiopian army invaded central and
southern Somalia in December 2006 to oust
Islamic Courts rulers from Mogadishu and
install the weak interim government.
Ethiopia's repressive government has been
widely condemned for gross human rights
violations and war crimes, including mass
killings in Somalia perpetrated by the
Ethiopian army.
Source: Garowe Online |
|
|
|
|
