Somalia: NISA chief Fahad Yasin appoints his deputy days after Kulane’s dismissal
MOGADISHU, Somalia – the Somalia spy agency; the National Intelligence Security Agency [NISA] got a new deputy manager following the unprecedented sacking of Abdullahi Kulane, who called the agency for months because of close ties to Villa Somalia.
Several sources told Axadlethat Abbas Yacqub was appointed by NISA boss Fahad Yasin, a close ally of outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, who is keen to defend his seat in the postponed October elections. NISA was fundamental for doing the Farmaajo shopping.
Kulane, who was linked to a number of controversial issues including rape and torture in Gedo, was sacked on Friday by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble. He has been accused of preventing a number of politicians from traveling within the country for campaigns.
Prior to Kulane’s sacking, Prime Minister Roble warned NISA agents, security forces and police against harassment of opposition politicians. Their conduct ideally led to the unprecedented postponement of the elections following complaints from a number of stakeholders.
Prior to his appointment on Wednesday as NISA deputy chief, Abbas was one of NISA’s senior executives in charge of administration, finance and technology, and will likely become the acting director of NISA when Fahad Yassin will step down to run for a parliamentary seat.
Last month, Axadleestablished that Fahad Yasin and Abdullahi Kulane had decided to join active politics in the country. The two men were initially accused by the opposition of having implanted NISA agents in electoral commissions.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the new deputy boss of NISA was involved in the recruitment of missing Somali soldiers. Almost 5,000-7,000 soldiers are currently training in Eritrea and some sources have confirmed that Farmaajo is keen to use them to exercise strong authority in the country.
A UN report filed in June established that a number of these soldiers crossed from Tigray to Ethiopia where they helped the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Eritrean troops unleash violence against innocent civilians and the Forces defense of Tigray.
But to date, the government has refused to provide specific information on their whereabouts and safety, choosing only to address a few media concerns. The parents of these children demonstrated in Mogadishu, calling for government action.
AXADLETM
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