Sunday October 10, 2021
Mogadishu (HOL) - Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble met with the family of Ikran Tahlil on Saturday, where he reiterated his commitment to justice.
The family told Roble that they were facing obstacles from the military court's prosecution office and pushed for a more independent inquiry into her abduction.
Roble stressed that the matter is before the court and that the perpetrators of the Ikraan Tahliil case will one day be brought to justice.
The PM soothed some of the family's concerns by doubling down on his commitment to not negotiate for a "quiet solution" to the political drama that has gripped Somalia.
Somalia's internal security minister, Abdullahi M Nor, was also present in the meeting.
Qali Mohamud Guhad, Ikran's mother and her loudest advocate for justice, said in an interview on Saturday that she believes President Farmajo was intentionally stymying the investigation into her daughter's abduction.
Guhad demanded that President Farmajo release her daughter if she is alive or bring her killers to justice.
"It would appear that Farmajo is standing in the way of justice. I say to you (Farmajo), fear God, this young, innocent girl was working on behalf of her country and deserves justice."
Guhad said that the case has now garnered international attention and will not be swept under the rug.
"This case will not go away, it is now an international matter, and it will go on forever. For those who think that it has gone away and that it's just her mother who is making a fuss, they are mistaken. Her father, Dr. Talil Farah, is here. Her paternal uncle, Dr. Hassan Farah, is here. Her maternal uncles, her family and the Somali people - who are god-fearing and want justice - are here. This case is not going anywhere."
Guhad said that if the government believes that Ikran committed a crime, then she should be released and taken to court.
"I call on Farmajo to fear God. If my daughter is arrested or if she committed a crime, then afford her due process; if she was murdered, then she needs justice. Otherwise, there will not be peace."
She thanked the Prime Minister for his efforts in securing justice for her family.
Ikran Tahlil was a cybersecurity expert employed with Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). She was abducted from her home near the NISA HQ in late June after she allegedly received a phone call from her superiors to report to the office.
After mounting internal pressure, Somalia's intelligence agency announced that she was killed by Al-Shabaab two months after she went missing without providing a shred of definitive proof. Al Shabaab, which has waged a deadly insurgency against Somalia's internationally-backed government for over a decade, denied that it was part of the killing. The embarrassing episode forced the ouster of Somalia's intelligence chief - and close ally of the President - by the PM, which sparked a constitutional struggle within Somalia's national executive and created cracks in Somalia's nascent security apparatus. Somalia's international partners have repeatedly warned that the political standoff threatens to derail the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.