Photo/Somali Times
The elders and intellectuals of the Hawiye community held a press conference in Mogadishu today and described the arrest of the former commander of the Somali National Army Danab Major Ismail Abdimalik as tribal. President Mohamed Farmajo replaced Major Ismail as an ”Marehan clan.” Farmajo is playing dirty politics.
The elders who attended the meeting spoke to the media one by one, and a communiqué was issued at the end of the meeting. Speaking at the meeting, Nabadon Mohamed Hassan Haad described the arrest of the officer as an abuse of power and politics.
“The army has the right to be detained for 48 hours. After that, if a person is guilty, he will be taken to court, and if he is not guilty, he will be released. He has been detained for two months, and that is a violation. It is a politicized issue,” said Nabadon Mohamed Hassan Haad.
The elders and intellectuals of the Hawiye said, ”Politicians and traditional elders in the community have approached President Farmajo more than four times, demanding the officer’s release, but that has not been possible.”
“If the government lacks his knowledge and ability to be released as a clan, not a clan, no other clan can oppress him,” said one of the elders who spoke at the meeting.
Another peace activist said, “We say to President Farmajo that this is not the end for us, we welcome you, we have done everything for you, our case today is not a request, we say you unconditionally release Colonel Ismail, because he has helped Somalis. It is well known, but we consider his arrest to be illegal and also remove off Hassan Ali Khaire.”