Somali Official Accused of Human Rights Abuses Arrives in U.S.

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 03 October 2024 19:28

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Somali Official Accused of Human Rights Abuses Arrives in U.S.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) - Abdirahman Yusuf Omar, a key figure responsible for human rights violations against journalists in Somalia over the past decade, has reportedly arrived in the United States, according to local Somali media sources

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Reports indicate that he arrived in Minneapolis, where some Somali media outlets claim he met with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) - Abdirahman Yusuf Omar, a key figure responsible for human rights violations against journalists in Somalia over the past decade, has reportedly arrived in the United States, according to local Somali media sources.

Commonly known as "Al Adala," Omar currently serves as Somalia’s Deputy Minister but has a controversial history.

Reports indicate that he arrived in Minneapolis, where some Somali media outlets claim he met with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

Al Adala is accused of orchestrating targeted attacks against journalists and press freedom organizations.

His history also includes widespread sexual violence and harassment against women during his involvement with the Islamic Courts Union in 2005, as well as his role in the Hawiye militia during the violent turmoil that gripped Mogadishu in the 1990s.

In 2022, the media rights watchdog described him as the worst violator of press freedom in Somalia.

In September 2023, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights group and the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) submitted a formal communication to the UN Human Rights Council, accusing Al Adala and others of abducting, torturing, and attacking Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, the Secretary-General of SJS. This case is the first of its kind involving Somali government officials, but a decision has yet to be announced.

Mumin, who fled to the UK after the ordeal, endured 44 days of torture in an underground cell.

Al Adala’s record also includes a 2020 incident, where, as the Director of the Ministry of Information, he oversaw the targeted arrest of journalist Mohamed Abduwahab Abuja from the Bantu minority community. Abuja was held in an underground cell for five months, where he faced severe physical and psychological abuse before being released by a military court.

This arrival has sparked fresh concerns over impunity and accountability for human rights violations in Somalia.