In the realm of global justice, there’s a story encircling the grim maze of human rights violations. It centers on a man named Yusuf Abdi Ali, also notorious as “Tukeh.” Imagine him seated in Springfield, Virginia, once a Lieutenant Colonel in Somalia’s National Army. This tale begins during the dark clouds of 1988, where the northwest corner of Somalia witnessed turmoil, now known as North Western State of Somalia.
Tukeh, a septuagenarian with his 71 tales, commanded the Fifth Brigade, donned with a chilling moniker, “Kill All But Crows.” Why such a dark nickname? He wielded terror, orchestrating torture and civilian deaths in Hargeisa and Burao, towns etched in sorrow.
Let’s zoom into the horrors. The Somali National Army, under his reign, became a vessel of tragedy: civilians met with untimely ends, tormented souls, entire settlements incinerated, landmines laid without a second thought, and life-sustaining water reservoirs obliterated — all part of a grim strategy against the innocents.
But things took an unexpected turn in November 2022; Tukeh faced justice’s gavel. The U.S. Department of Justice handed down a 65-page verdict, affirming his deeds of torture and unlawful executions. “An eye for an eye,” you might think, but the verdict itself wasn’t vengeance; it was pure justice.
Fast forward to December 20, 2024, when the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sent him back to Somalia. Russell Hott, embodied by his role as the acting Executive Associate Director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, proclaimed, “The United States isn’t a nook for human rights crooks. Justice can sashay slowly, but it catches up.”
Upon his return, Tukeh was greeted in Lasanod, nestled in Somalia’s Sool region, like a prodigal son by his clan. While his deportation remains a solitary spark in the vast justice landscape, it aligns with the efforts of the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, an ensemble born in 2008 to unveil and oust those tangled in the cobweb of atrocious acts.
The center, under the wing of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, has barred more than 390 alleged violators from treading on American soil and escorted over 1,150 known offenders out of the U.S. since its inception. From 2003, ICE has nabbed over 520 individuals versed in human rights violations, while nearly 180 live investigations unravel stories across 95 countries.
This particular saga offers a glimpse into America’s unwavering resolve to deny a sanctuary to violators while vowing justice for those felled by their horrors. Back in Lasanod, Tukeh addressed his kin with gratitude, embodying resolve in his words, “I’m beyond delighted to return to the arms of a free Lasanod today. To those who walked by me these 32 years, my thanks. Here I am prepared to meet my end, wrapped in the strengths of a free Lasanod and its valiant army.”
And thus, the narrative echoes — a commitment to justice: a mix of the past, retribution, and a yearning for a world where human rights violators find no abode. This isn’t just a tale; it’s a reminder etched in tales of courage, woven in human rights’ tapestry.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
