Jubbaland fugitive hiding in Nairobi, Amnesty claims
Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka
The fugitive Jubbaland security minister Abdirashid Hassan Abdinur is hiding in Nairobi, Amnesty International has claimed.
Abdinur, also known as Abdirashid Janan, is alleged to have fled from his hideout in Mandera town on Monday to Nairobi after heavy fighting broke out in the Somali border town of Bulohawo between the Somali Federal Government troops and Jubaland regional forces.
A security source at Vigilance House said yesterday the fugitive minister entered Nairobi through Wilson Airport after escaping a trap laid by Somali forces seeking to arrest him.
Abdinur, who has been in Kenya since his escape from custody in Somalia on January 28, faces several accusations including international human rights violations and the massacre of innocent civilians in Jubbaland’s Geddo region during denominational fights.
As a result of these reports, Amnesty International has supported Mogadishu’s call for the Kenyan government to arrest Abdinur and hand him over to the Federal Government of Somalia to face justice.
In a statement, Amnesty International said: “Now that his whereabouts are known, the authorities in Kenya and Somalia must move swiftly to ensure he is re-arrested and tried so that justice is served.
“The Kenyan authorities must arrest and hand him over to the Federal Government of Somalia, who should conduct his trial in a manner that meets international fair trial standards, without,” said Seif Magango, the human rights agency’s Deputy Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.
