This archive report was first published on 2 September 2019.
On September 1, 2019, Somalia police arrested Jubbaland State Security Minister Abdirashid Hassan Abdinur in Mogadishu, a move that has heightened tensions between the federal government and the semi-autonomous Jubbaland state.
According to Somalia police, the minister was arrested for 'serious crimes' upon his arrival in Mogadishu from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. However, the police did not provide further details on the charges.
Abdirashid Hassan Abdinur has been accused of ties to torture and human rights abuses between 2014 and 2015, as per a 2017 United Nations report.
"Yesterday, Somalia police forces arrested Abdirashid Hassan Abdinur, who has been accused of series crimes," Somalia police deputy chief Zakia Hussen tweeted, stating that the minister was under investigation.
The Jubbaland administration has condemned the arrest, calling it 'illegal' and a 'kidnapping.'
The arrest comes at a time of rising tensions between the Somalia federal government and the government in Jubbaland, as well as their respective foreign backers. The situation has been further complicated by the re-election of Sheikh Islam Ahmed alias Madobe as Jubbaland's president, which the central Somalia authorities have refused to recognize.
