Somalia Military Court Hears Case Against Two Ethiopians Accused of Al-Shabaab Links

MOGADISHU – A Somali military court on Tuesday examined a case involving two Ethiopian nationals accused of ties to the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, judicial officials said.

The men, named by prosecutors as Hamza Ibrahim Ali Abu Irshad and Nasri Abdirahman Ali Abu Safiya, appeared before the First Instance Court of the Somali Armed Forces, where military prosecutors detailed allegations that they were connected to the al Qaeda-linked insurgency.

Prosecutors said both suspects were born in Harar, Ethiopia, and speak Somali fluently. They were taken into custody during a preplanned operation by Somali intelligence officers in Baydhabo, the administrative capital of the Bay region in southwestern Somalia.

According to the prosecution, the charges relate to alleged combat participation, militant training, and the circumstances of the pair’s entry into Somalia. If the court finds the accusations proven, prosecutors asked for a suitable sentence, saying such a ruling would help deter others from joining Al-Shabaab.

Defense attorneys pushed back strongly, arguing that the two men did not commit the crimes alleged against them and that the case rests on serious but unproven claims. They asked the court to permit the defendants to return to Ethiopia and reunite with their families.

The military court said it is considering submissions from both sides and will issue a final ruling once its review of the case is complete.

Somalia has stepped up operations against Al-Shabaab in recent years, and military courts have regularly been used to prosecute suspected members and collaborators as part of the government’s wider campaign to contain the insurgency.

AXADLETM