Ikran Tahlil Farah | |
---|---|
![]() Ikran Tahlil Farah | |
Born | |
Disappeared | June 26, 2021 (aged 24) Abdulaziz district, Mogadishu, Somalia |
Status | Missing for 5 months and 12 days |
Nationality | Somali |
Occupation | Civil servant |
Ikran Tahlil Farah was a Somali civil servant with a background in international human rights law and international relations, who was emplyed by the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency. At the time of her disappearance, in June 2021, she had been working in NISA's cybersecurity department. [1]
According to her Somali diplomatic passport Ikran was born in Kenya on 24 August 1996. [2] After attending primary school in Mandera, she went to Agha Khan High School in Nairobi. She graduated with a BA in International Relations from the United States International University in Nairobi. [3]
Ikran joined NISA in 2017, where she worked at the director's office. She was promoted in October 2017 to director of the Human Rights Compliance Division. Her duties included liaising with the British Embassy in Mogadishu and AMISOM on security sector capacity building. From October 2018 to July 2019, she was seconded as Chief of Staff to the office of the Mayor of Mogadishu, Abdirahman Yarisow, who was assassinated in August 2019. [4] [5] NISA then sent her to study in the UK, where she achieved a Certificate of International Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham also in 2019, and a post-graduate certificate in Internation Affairs from King's College, London in 2020. [3] [6] She returned to NISA as head of their cyber security unit, [7] where she worked until her disappearance in June 2021.
On 26 June 2021, 25 year old Ikran was abducted close to her home in Abdulaziz district of Mogadishu, which is near the NISA headquarters. [8] The last sighting of Ikran is of CCTV footage which shows her getting into a NISA Toyota jeep. [9] Garowe online have said that they obtained the CCTV footage of her 'being thrown into a jeep' with a NISA registration plate on the night of her disappearance. However, NISA claimed that the CCTV footage was unavailable, due to the fact that the video camera was not working. [3]
NISA published a statement on 2 September 2021 claiming that Ikran had been handed to Al Shabaab, who they claimed had then killed her, but Al Shabaab denied any involvement. [1]
On 4 September 2021, Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble asked Director Gerneral of NISA, Fahad Yasin to submit a report on Ikran's death. Roble suspended Yasin due to his failure to submit the report, but the decision was overturned by President Mohamed Abudllahi Mohamed [10] on the grounds of it being unconstitutional. [11] Roble accused Mohamed of “obstructing effective investigation of Ikran Tahlil Farah’s case”. [12] In a joint statement on 7 September 2021, IGAD, EU, USA, AMISOM and the UN, called for a credible investigation to be made into Ikran's disappearance. [13]
Former NISA Director-General Abdullahi Ali Sanbalolshe who originally hired Ikran in 2017 suggested that she may have been targeted due to her possession of sensitive information, suggesting that she had information about the secret deployment of Somali army recruits to Eritrea [14] who may have been sent to Ethiopia to fight in the Tigray War. [1] [15] The Council of Presidential Candidates have called for an independent enquiry into the case. [6]
Ikran's mother, Qali Mohamud Guhaad filed charges at the miilitary court against Fahad Yasin, Abdullahi Kulane, Abdikani Wadna-Qabad and Yasin Faray in relation to the disappearance of her daughter. [16] According to Qali there was an offer of an out of court settlement which was made through Hussein Dhubow and MP Dahir Jesow. Dr Tahlil, Ikran's father who lives in London, responded saying that the family would not accept any such settlement. [9] Mohamed subsequently appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the disappearance, but Qali dismissed the move. [17]
It is believed that Ikran was in possession of sensitive information relating to the suicide attack which killed her former boss, Abdirahman Osman, [2] and also a secret program in which an estimated 4000-7000 Somali militrary recruits were sent to train in Eritrea before allegedly being sent to fight in the Tigray War in Ethiopia. [18]
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war which is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed Forces began engaging in combat against various armed rebel groups, including the Somali Salvation Democratic Front in the northeast, the Somali National Movement in the northwest, and the United Somali Congress in the south. The clan-based armed opposition groups overthrew the Barre government in 1991.
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is a Somali politician who served as President of Somalia from 2009 to 2012. He is the founder and leader of Himilo Qaran political party and also the founder and head of the Forum for National Parties of Somalia. He is the chairperson of the Council of Presidential Candidates of Somalia.
The Somalia War, also known as the Ethiopian invasion and occupation of Somalia, was an armed conflict involving Ethiopian (ENDF), Transitional Federal Government forces and Somali troops from Puntland, against Islamist militias for control of Somalia.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is an active, regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It is mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implement a national security plan, train the Somali security forces, and to assist in creating a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian aid. As part of its duties, AMISOM also supports the Federal Government of Somalia's forces in their battle against Al-Shabaab militants.
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is a Somalia-based terrorist jihadist fundamentalist group active in East Africa and Yemen. The group describes itself as waging jihad against "enemies of Islam" and is engaged in combat against the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). The group has been suspected of having links with al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram. Due to its Wahhabi roots, al-Shabaab is hostile to Sufi traditions and has often clashed with the Somali Sufi militia Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a. Al-Shabaab’s leaders and commanders are mainly from the Hawiye clan, which is one of the largest clans in Somalia. It has attracted some members from Western countries, including Briton Samantha Lewthwaite and American Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki.
Villa Somalia is a building in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. It serves as the official residential palace and principal workplace of the President of Somalia.
The 2009–present phase of the Somali Civil War is concentrated in southern and central Somalia and portions of north eastern Kenya. It began in early February 2009 with the conflict between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia, assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops, and various militant groups and factions. The violence has displaced thousands of people in the southern part of the country. The civil war has also seen fighting between the Sufi Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a and al-Shabaab.
The Battle of Mogadishu (2010–11) began on 23 August 2010 when al-Shabaab insurgents began attacking government and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) positions in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab began its offensive after its spokesman said the group was declaring a "massive war" on troops sent by AMISOM, describing its 6,000 peacekeepers as "invaders". In December 2010 the number of AMISOM troops was increased to 8,000 and later to 9,000. The battle's name usually includes the years, when referenced, in order to distinguish it amongst the nine major Battles of Mogadishu during the decades long Somali Civil War.
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmaajo, is a Somali politician who has served as president of Somalia since 16 February 2017 and has been acting president since 8 February 2021. Since the expiration of his original term, the federal member states of Puntland and Jubaland no longer recognise Mohamed as the president of Somalia, but they eventually came to agreement on holding elections. He was prime minister of Somalia for six months, from November 2010 to June 2011. Mohamed is the founder and chairman of the Tayo party.
Operation Linda Nchi was an operation where the Kenya Defence Forces entered southern Somalia beginning in 2011. The Kenyan government declared the operation completed in March 2012, but its forces then joined AMISOM in Somalia.
The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) is the national intelligence agency of the Federal Republic of Somalia. It is headquartered in Mogadishu. The NISA is also closely intertwined with the Somali Armed Forces and regularly cooperates with them.
Bashir Mohamed Jama "Goobe" is a politician and former Somali Armed Forces officer. He is currently the Director-General of the Somali Agency for Construction and Development. He served twice as the Chief of the Somali Custodial Corps and also served as the Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency from 2013 to 2014. He received the highest rank of Lieutenant General and served as the only Lieutenant General since the former Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Samatar retired in 1991.
This is a 2014 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
Operation Indian Ocean was a joint military operation between the Somali military, AMISOM and the United States military against the Al-Shabaab militant group in southern Somalia. It officially began in August 2014.
Fahad Yasin Haji Dahir, is a Somali journalist and civil servant. He was also the campaign manager for Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in 2017 elections.After the elections he was appointed Chief of Staff for Villa Somalia and then Director General of the National Intelligence and Security Agency. Mohamed subsequently appointed him as his National Security Advisor.
On 27 March 2015, Al-Shabaab militants launched an attack on the Makka al-Mukarama hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. The siege ended a few hours later on 28 March, after a special forces unit of the Somali Armed Forces stormed the premises, recaptured it, and killed all five of the attackers. According to the Ministry of Information, around 20 people died during the standoff, including the perpetrators, security forces, hotel security guards and some civilians, with around 28 wounded. The special forces also rescued more than 50 hotel guests. President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ordered an investigation into the attack, and the Ministry of Information announced that the federal government was slated to pass new laws to curb illicit firearms. On 8 May, the Makka al-Mukarama hotel officially reopened after having undergone renovations.
This article contains a timeline of events for the Somali jihadist group Al-Shabaab.
Mohamed Hussein Roble is the current Prime Minister of Somalia and de facto leader, serving in office since 23 September 2020.
Events in the year 2021 in Somalia.