The Rebirth of Somaliland (9)
Hargeisa Group Hospital (The UFO Group)
(Dr Hussein Nur)
In the 1980s during the era of military dictatorship under Said
Barre, Law No. 54 of Sep tember 1970 was an instrument irresponsibly
operational used by the security. It contained articles related to
the “protection of national security”, “crimes against the state”
and mandatory death penalty. The Somali people especially citizens
from the North were affected. Detailed personal accounts of some
members of the group such as Mohamed Barud Ali and Bashe Abdi Yusuf
are recorded elsewhere (in the author’s forthcoming book ‘The
Rebirth of Somaliland).
The Hargeisa Hospital Group composed of young civil servants,
voluntary sector workers, entrepreneurs and businessmen and
professionals such as medical doctors, veterinary surgeons and
teachers. Most of them were from Hargeisa (RUDM – ragga u dhashay
magaalada) but also from the other parts of Somaliland.
As a group they organised themselves as a voluntary self-help group
whose sole intention was to improve the deteriorating conditions of
the dilapidated Hargeisa General Hospital which was utterly
neglected by the government. The hospital fell in longstanding
disrepair. There was lack of the basic utilities, far short of the
needs of increasing population of the city. As recalled by one of
the members, the midwives used to request husbands of the pregnant
wives brought to the hospital to switch headlights of their vehicles
because of lack of electricity in the hospital so as to carry on
deliveries.
The group started meeting and discussing issues and immediately
staged small initiatives to convalesce the situation of the
hospital. But nevertheless, they never belonged to any organised
political group. They were just a group of like-minded individuals.
What was the reward for groups’ charitable activities?
They were all imprisoned allegedly belonging to the SNM opposition
and procision of support to its cause. One after the other or in
groups, they were put in jail. Ahmed Yussuf Jabane was imprisoned
first, two days (on 4th August 1981) Engineer Mohamed Barud Ali was
taken from his home in Hargeisa by security officers. He was then in
honeymoon.
One day while in his business premises, plainclothes men from the
NSS came to Bashe Yusuf Abdi. They took him away to jail. Other
colleagues were already in jail before him. In fact, Yusuf was ready
at the time as he knew the odd hour visitors (the security) would
come at any time for him. The fact that the group was put together
as a political group called ‘UFO was simply erroneous. They were 28
in number grouped together as UFO group. UFO was a leaflet written
by Ahmed Yusuf Jabane and Mohamed Barud which was secretly
distributed and dropped in the streets of Hargeisa. That is how the
UFO jargon spread in the public and became associated with the
group.
The group was in jail at Hargeisa for about a year. Torture of
different forms was a routine. On the day of their trial at the
security court in Hargeisa, some of them were actually unconscious
most of the time. They were unable to move and could barely stand
up. The witnesses present at the court were the officers who
tortured them in prison. On that day, there was a mass student
uprising in Hargeisa whereby life bullets were used to students who
were demonstrating against the injustices nearby their schools. The
prisoners were literally saved from the firing squad by those very
demonstrations by the students in schools.
Few days after, the prisoners (20 of them ??? ) were escorted to the
south to be imprisoned at ‘Labatan Jirrow’ prison, north of Baidoa
(between Wajid and Hudur). 14 of the group were put in solitary
confinement; the rest had variable jail terms for 7 to 20 years
terms.
In 1989, after the eruption of civil war in the North and the SNM
invasion and after being in the jail for 7 years, all of them were
all released by Barre’s order.
Who were the members of the UFO group?
The names of prisoners and the convictions of the chaotic hasty
trial outcome are listed as below with professions/occupations and
prison terms:
1. Ahmed Yusuf Jabane (Physics teacher), life imprisonment; 2.
Mohamed Barud Ali ((Industrial chemist), Life imprisonment; 3.
Mohamed Mohamoud Omar Hashi (Economist/Enteprenur), 30 years; 4.
Abdirahman Abdillahi Haji Aden (civil servant), 30 years; 5. Mohamed
Ali Ibrahim (head of self-help schemes, Hargeisa), 25 years; 6. Dr
Aden Yusuf Abokor (Medical doctor), 20 years; 7. Hussein Mohamoud
Duale (Berberawi)(Teacher, Biology/Chemistry), 20 years; 8. Aden
Warsame Said (Economist/Businessman), 20 years; 9. Yousuf Abdillahi
Kahin (Businessman. Farmer), 20 years; 10. Dr Mohamoud Sh Hassan
Tani (Medical Doctor), 20 years; 11. Dr Abdillahi Ali Yusuf ‘Olad’
(Veterinary Doctor), 20 years; 12. Dr Osman Abdi Meygag (Medical
Doctor), 20 years; 13. Ahmed Hussein Abby (Banker), 20 years; 14.
Bashe Abdi Yusuf (Businessman), 20 years; 15. Mohamed Ma’allin Osman
(Teacher Buiology), 8 years; 16. Mohamed Abdi Ji’iir (Teacher
Biology), 8 years; 17. Ahmed Muhumed Madar (Teacher Biology), 8
years; 18. Ali Egeh Farah (Ali Biid) (Engineer/ Manager construction
Agency), 3 years; 19. Omer Isse Awaleh (Civil servant Accountant), 3
years; 20. Dr Mohamed Ali Sulub (Medical Doctor), 3 years; 21.
Hassan Abdisalan Aw Ali (Pepsicola Co. worker), released; 22. Hassan
Abdillahi Ali (Elgeye), released; 23. Mohamed Abdi Duacle (Ayub),
released; 24. Ismail Abdi Hurre (Dheg), released; 25. Ahmed Hassan
Madar , released; 27. Lt. Colonel Ismail Hashi Madar, released; 28.
Said Mohamoud Ibrahim, released. 2 of the prisoners were given life
sentences, 2 were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment, one with 25
years 9 with 20 years, 3 with 8 years, 3 with 3 years and 8 were
released for lack of evidence and other reasons. The initial charges
carried death penalties but charges were changed or dropped for lack
of evidence (some of them were of the targeted group of people of
the society). Eight of the prisoners were released without charges
most of them did not belong to target group’s clan affiliations.
After this group, thousands of civilians, civil servants,
academicians and politicians were arrested, tortured, sentenced to
long prison terms, life imprisonments and death penalties. In fear
of such policies, hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes
in the North to seek sanctuary and work in the Middle East, Africa,
Europe and North America as migrants and political refugees.
On 20th February 1982 after the sentence of the above group,
students in the schools in Hargeisa made riots by throwing stones (Dhagax
tour). In fact, the students staged a big demonstration on the day
of the trial of the group.
School children and many of their teachers were imprisoned for their
non-violent beliefs and suspect of belonging to an armed band, the
SNM. Some of the hundreds of the school children arrested included:
1. Adan Moussa Abdullah; 2. Abdukadir Haji Arap; 3. Abdirahman Abdi
Elmi; 4. Amal Jama Ibrahim; 5. Mohamed Mohamoud Ismail; 6. Abdillahi
Kayd Mohamed; 7. Anisa Abdi Yusuf; 8. Nasir Aden Yusuf; 9. Faisal
Abdillahi Aden. Among the teachers imprisoned were: Abdi Abdillahi;
Mahdi Osman and Ahmed Ali Toor.
Arbitrary arrests, detentions and unfair trials were common practice
in the daily life of the Somali people. Security-related offenses
and crimes punishable by death were tried by the National Security
Court (NSC) which was shielded from any independent scrutiny. The
court tried both civilians and military officers. NSC courts did not
form part of the regular judicial system and headed by an army
officer and a cabinet Minister, a member of the Central Committee,
General Mohamed Ghelle Yusuf who had no legal training and who was
appointed by the president. There was a whole sale denial of due
process in the summary proceedings of the court which was more of a
military tribunal than a court of justice. Important political
trials usually took place in great secrecy. Habeas corpus, the legal
recourse in the case of illegal detentions, was abolished in 1970
and there was no right to appeal. Death sentences were only reviewed
by the president, and was the only who could offer pardon appeals of
clemency (continued)
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