Former al-Shabaab deputy chief begins hunger strike in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Mukhtar Robow, the former deputy head of Al-Shabaab began his third day of hunger strike in Mogadishu on Saturday, which could spark further debate over his continued house arrest, more than two years after his arrest in Baidoa , the regional administrative capital of Southwest.
A government source told Axadlethat the former al-Shabaab leader refused to take food and that “he has now entered the third day”. Robow was first arrested in 2018 while campaigning for the presidential election in the Southwest State.
Robow, the source noted, denounced “his continued detention without justification by the federal government”, adding that “the authorities have remained silent on the latest case which could spark another round of protests in the country”.
In addition, the source said, “he has repeatedly called on the authorities to release him without success and believes that the hunger strike is the last solution to his problems.” Under international law, a prisoner must have his rights protected, including access to property, water and his family.
Robow left Al-Shabaab and was received by the government after he disagreed with Ahmed Omar, the current head of Al-Shabaab over irreconcilable differences. After that, he joined politics in his native southwest, which was not well received by the authorities.
And to tame it, government troops and those of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] stormed its countryside in the southwest and arrested it, causing chaos in the state. More than 11 people were killed in the deadly chaos.
Without filing a complaint against him, the government continued to detain him in a house controlled by the National Intelligence Security Agency. [NISA], who is often accused of human rights violations, torture, death and disappearance of detractors.
Sources familiar with his arrest insist he was overwhelmed and then arrested after it emerged that he was clearly the favorite to win the Southwest Presidency. President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo was keen to control all states.
The use of Ethiopian troops raised eyebrows, with Somali opposition bigwigs accusing the AMISOM team of interfering with Somalia’s internal affairs. In fact, the Ethiopian troops who arrested him are said to be a non-Amisom contingent.
The use or collaboration of foreign troops is not strange in Somalia. Recently, it was reported that over 5,000 young Somali soldiers were training in Eritrea and it is possible that they participated in the Tigray genocide, which left thousands dead.
But despite these serious allegations, the government has remained fairly silent, which has led to speculation from stakeholders. A committee appointed by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has not yet tabled its conclusions on the issue.
A number of people have defected from Al-Shabaab due to financial constraints, a change in philosophy or government persuasion. Defectors have generally repatriated society and receive preferential treatment.
AXADLETM
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