Jubbaland President initiates efforts to release Qailbi-dhagah

[Deeq A.]

Somalia’s Southern regional state is initiating efforts to free Abdikarim Muse Qalbi-dhagah, who was handed over to Ethiopian government last year, officials confirmed on Sunday.

Jubbaland President, Ahmed Mohamed Modobe who visited Ethiopia this week met with Qalbi-dhagah in Addis Ababa town.

Jubbaland state officials who spoke to Hiiraan Online have confirmed the initiatives to release the commander of Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), Abdikarim Muse, saying President Madobe urged Ethiopia authorities to free him.

President Madobe’s efforts came eight months after Qalbi-dhagah who is former Somali National Army (SNA) was extradited to Ethiopia by the Somali government.

Abdikarim Muse was captured in late August 2017 when he travelled to Adado town in Galmudug region.

He was flown to Mogadishu and handed over to the Somali federal government which later transferred him to the Ethiopian government.

His extradition caused public outcry and demonstrations held in some parts of the country.

The report tabled and adopted by the Lower House in November (last year) blamed for the intelligence agency NISA for what it said was the transmission of wrong information to the government.

The report subsequently declared the extradition as illegal and observed that ONLF was not a terrorist organization as indicated by the cabinet September last year.