Whereabouts, Janan’s Jubbaland tells President Farmajo

Photo/ Somali Times




Jubaland Government has demanded the Somali Federal Government explain the whereabouts of its Security Minister Abdirashid Janan following claims he escaped from custody Wednesday. In a statement Wednesday, the Ahmed Madobe administration said the remarks by Deputy Police Commissioner Zakia Hussein regarding Janan’s escape was ‘worrying’ and that the government appeared to be ‘hiding something.’

General Hussein issued a statement Wednesday notifying the public of Janan’s escape from custody in Mogadishu. Anyone with information about him to forward to the police, Gen. Hussein said. But Jubaland appeared to dismiss the police version of events noting Janan was ‘between life and death’.




The southerly state pointed fingers at the Federal Government for keeping Janan in custody for five months without any charges. “According to Somali laws, you cannot keep a suspect indefinitely without any charges. The fact that he Janan was kept for five months without trial shows he was innocent,” the statement read in part. Janan was arrested September 2019 in Mogadishu during an official trip out of the country. Amnesty International lauded Janan’s arrest and called for his prosecution.

”The arrest of Abdirashid Janan is a significant step towards accountability for the serious human rights violations committed with impunity for years by powerful individuals in Somalia, ” Amnesty said. Jubaland said Wednesday the Federal Government was responsible for Janan’s safety since he was under its custody.

Janan’s escape came barely two weeks after Jubaland and Puntland President called for his release. The two leaders called on the Federal Government in a communique following a meeting in Bosaso mid this month to release the minister.