MOGADISHU (AXADLE) Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) is once again involved in a scandal over human rights violations, following the resignation of a female agent earlier this month at Godka Jila’ow, a notorious detention and torture center. by NISA, shows a note. In December 2018, Somalia announced that it has closed the jail where the government has detained extremist suspects and journalists due to allegations of abuse of prisoners. However, it is still used actively.
The underground prison, which is located near the presidential palace, has dark dungeons for torture, according to former prisoners and former employees.
In an internal memo dated March 4, 2022, Colonel Hamdi Hassan Mohamud, a female officer in charge of NISA’s interrogation by Godka Jila’ow, stepped up as she accused acting NISA commander Yasin Farey of taking actions that violate the law and commit human rights violations.
“Since Yasin Farey and the NISA administration had acted outside the law, I have decided not to be a part of their actions, which are abuse of power and abuse of [military] the right to their benefit, as no one holds them accountable, “she wrote before fleeing the country for her safety.
Hamdi further said that she has been working for NISA for the past 13 years and that she had witnessed gross misconduct and human rights violations.
“Me and others [ex-NISA employees] others like me are living witnesses to these human rights violations, “she added.
RECENT EVENTS
According to two NISA sources seeking anonymity, Colonel Hamdi’s resignation follows her opposition to taking up a case involving a female al-Shabaab suspect who was allegedly raped by NISA officers inside Godka Jila’ow .
“The female prisoner was not put on trial for several months but had unfortunately been raped repeatedly inside the jail,” a source told the Horn Observer.
However, Hamdi’s refusal to take the detainee to court due to a boiled charge whistled off.
Repeated allegations of illegal killings, rape and forced disappearances committed by NISA have been on the rise without responsibility for its officers and staff.
Last September, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble suspended then-NISA chief Fahad Yasin a move that President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo called unconstitutional.
The controversy over Fahad Yasin erupted after days of tension in the capital Mogadishu over the mysterious disappearance and death of Ikran Tahlil Farah, a female NISA officer in June 2021.
To date, no independent investigation of all these incidents has been conducted.
