Sunday December 25, 2022
Dhusamareb (HOL) - Galmudug security forces arrested three traditional elders hours after returning to Adado in Haradhere district, an al-Shabab-held district in Galmudug state, on Sunday.
The arrested elders included Sugal Warsame Ali, Ali Yare Ahmed Ali and Omar Mohamed Jimale, who had been in the Haradhere district for close to a month negotiating the release of their clan members held in Al Shabaab captivity.
Before their arrest, they stated at a press conference in Adado that they had signed eight-point agreements with al Shabab. One of the points in the agreements was that the elders opposed the Somali government's military offensive against Al Shabaab in the Galmudug region.
These elders defended their meeting with Al-Shabaab by claiming to organize the release of 70 Al-Shabaab captives and discuss the targeting of Haji Salabeen clan members.
The elders denied any alliance with Al-Shabaab, stating they were working to free their scholars, which the government should have done.
Adado District Governor Farah Diriye Warsame said that his administration has a zero-tolerance policy for cooperating with Al Shabaab.
General Hassan Jami'i, Commander of the 21st Division of the country's armed forces, stated at a press conference in Adado that the arrested elders were taken to Dhusamareb, the administrative capital, to face the law.
Galmudug Ministry of Security issued a brief statement warning anyone who deals with al-Shabab will be held accountable, just as the elders arrested on Sunday.
The governor of Adado District, Farah Diiriye Warsame, also emphasized that the elders are criminals who will be prosecuted alongside the journalists who interviewed them.