Pardoned of his ‘sins’ Janan, accused of murder, torture, now Farmaajo’s hatchet man

It has now emerged that Attorney General Suleyman Mohamud wrote to the Banaadir Regional Court in March 22 indicating he was no longer intent on pursuing any case against the controversial former minister.

A day after on March 23, Banaadir Regional Court judge wrote back indicating Janan’s file had been closed and in effect, the man who escaped custody in January 2020 and put on INTERPOL list was now a free man.

Janan would ‘jubilantly’ make entry into Belet Hawo on March 24 escorted by armed soldiers in about three technicals. He was received by two federal ministers and declared by the government media as ‘very important’ in peace efforts in the Gedo region.

Such was the magnitude of the slap on the face on his alleged victims and a police force which had sought international help for Janan’s arrest.

At the height of animosity between outgoing President Mohamed Farmaajo’s administration and Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe, Mogadishu engaged various options to weaken the southern state president including cutting off humanitarian flights to the region.

On September 2019, Janan, then a powerful minister of security was arrested at Aden Adde Airport in Mogadishu as he was about to fly out.

The Federal Government announced Janan was wanted for gross violations of human rights and would be facing charges. Amnesty International then hailed Janan’s arrest and called for his prosecution.

“The investigation and trial of Abdirashid Janan must usher in an era of justice for victims of human rights violations and their families in Somalia,” Amnesty’s Seif Magango said.

According to UN Monitoring reports, Janan was responsible for murder, torture, unlawful detention and committing illegal acts between 2014 and 2015.

ESCAPE

However, Janan who was then Madobe’s right hand man and a match for Farmaajo’s might escaped custody barely six months on. Police reports claimed that Janan took a boat from Mogadishu all the way to Kismayo before crossing over into the Kenyan side.

There were however speculations that the escape may have been an inside job whose utility would be revisited later. In fact, Janan himself told journalists later that the federal government aided his escape.

Somali Police Force subsequently issued warrants of arrest and even sought the intervention of INTERPOL. Mogadishu would later point fingers at Nairobi for harboring the wanted Minister.

Janan’s forces clashed with Federal troops in February 2020 and later February this year in Belet Hawo leading to deaths and displacement of populations. Five children of the same family were among the dead this year when the second round of fighting between Janan and federal troops erupted. A mortar shell had landed in their home.

The clash would become another grinding point between Somalia and Kenya with the former accusing the latter of arming and supporting the fugitive minister.

Now, in what has affirmed long held views that Janan’s arrest in the first place was politically motivated, Janan is a ‘clean man’ in the eyes of Farmaajo and company. Farmaajo ‘cleansed’ Janan, pardoned him of his sins and now ready for deployment to counter his former boss.

For the people of Gedo, it’s a triple blow. They suffered in the hands of Janan when he was a district commissioner there, lost their kin during Janan’s fight with federal troops and now have to contend with seeing their alleged oppressor free and wallowing in the largesse of the state.