Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire (left) with Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn in Addis Ababa
ESAT News (July 4, 2017)
Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, announced on Monday that Ethiopia has agreed to hand over 120 Somali prisoners.
The prime minister made the announcement in a tweet from Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa where he is attending an African Union Summit.
‘‘Ethiopia agreed to hand over 120 Somali prisoners in the framework of an agreement we reached,” reads a translation by media outlets of his tweet in his native Somali language.
Details are scanty on the condition of the release of the prisoners but reports say the freed prisoners are due to fly to Mogadishu with the prime minister.
Some of the prisoners were held for over ten years and their alleged crimes include illegal entry to Ethiopia, according to reports.
Ethiopian troops are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) fighting Al-Shabaab. Ethiopia also deploys troops on a separate mission to fight insurgents in Somalia. The Ethiopian troops have been accused of committing crimes including rape and torture against Somali civilians.