Investigative Report about the killing of the 8 health workers in Gololey.

Investigative Report

About the novel episode (the 8 murdered persons) of Gololey Village in BAL’AD District

Topic Contents.

• Methodology
• Overview of the current situation in the region
• Background of Gololey Location
• Government in the area
• Al-Shabab in the area
• Local Militia in the area
• The Controversial attack on the MCH
• Findings of the investigation and the decision of the Somali Peace
• Challenges
• Recommendations

 

• Methodology 

We have used two methods in this report for to be able to comprehend more about the real conditions existing in the entire community of Gololey like; Descriptive and Historical methods and both were based on interviewing, Evaluating and analysing each information given to know the final result. 

• Overview of the Current situations in the Middle Shabelle Region

Middle Shebelle is one of the regions neighbouring Benadir region. It is one of the agro-pastoral regions in Somalia. Shebelle River passes almost across, and it has soil fertile as it had big sugar can plantations, and it also had the biggest sugar factory at JOWHAR in Somalia before 1991(approximately sugar production per day used to be three million of fifty Kg sugar bags), and the textile-manufacturing factory in BALCAD and other small beverage factories across the region.

It has multi ethnic Communities, and it used to be one of the most populated regions in the country before the central government collapse in 1991, and the inhabited communities are; ABGAAL, SHIIDLE, GAAL-JECEL, EEYLO, HILIBI, MOOBLEEN, and ABGAAL is the dominant clan in terms of possessing weapons and resources.

Due to having this above descriptions; this region got seriously affected by the Somali civil-war, Al-Shabab long term presence, and long time absence of government, and recurrently droughts that caused devastations to all categories of social and livelihood structures. And also the region is massively affected by rural to urban immigration that significant numbers of the people emigrated to Mogadishu and other regions and even neighbouring countries.

The region also hosts repeatedly unsolved communal-conflicts over land disputes mostly between ABGAAL and SHIIDLO which causes serious human right violations like displacements, killing civilians, raping, burning and destruction of settlements.

The region consists of six districts and all the districts were liberated at a time starting early from 2013 by SNA with the help of AMISOM ( BURUBIDES) except Aden-Yabal which still under Al-Shabab Rule.

This region is very much infested by AL-Shabaab and strongly manipulates all the vicinities of the main government-held districts, countryside and all roads and even they extort money from the people staying in the towns whereby government is present, and make a lot of finance which is very significant for its military operation and execution of their explosion activities in Mogadishu and other key towns in Somalia.

Clan militias purposely operate across the region and are more outnumbered than the government soldiers.

• Contextual of Gololey Village.

GOLOLEY is a village that locates 15km north of BAL’AD district and situates along side the connecting main road between BAL’AD and JOWHAR (the headquarter of Hirshabele State) and its administration comes under BAL’AD district.

Its population is estimated around three hundreds households and people are chiefly agro-pastoral. The inhabitants of this village primarily originate from ABGAAL and DAA’UUD as sub lower clan.

There are famous political figures in the southern Somalia who hail from community living in this location as they are; Senator Muuse Suudi Yalahow (former Mogadishu warlord), and the current governor of Banadir, Omar Filish and many others.

The village was named with one of the most popular poet during Siyad-Bare regime known GOLOLEY and died decades ago. GOLOLEY used to be well known with telling publically the weakness of the Siyad-Bare regime through poem and comedian.

The areas surrounding this village are infested by Al-Shabaab and have got strong infiltration and affiliations with in the communities around about. SNA and Burundis under AMISOM have got a base in a place called ISGOOSKA which five KM south of GOLOLEY just beside the long connecting road between BAL’AD and JOWHAR.

Also SNA and AMISOM same way have got an other near base called RAAXOOY just four KM north of GOLOLEY but there is no base in side the village.

The SNA commander of these two bases and the roads between BAL’AD and JOWHAR is called Major General ABUUKAR BOONOW and he himself hails from this community living in this GOLOLEY Village.

The remarkable item in this story is; the leader of AL-SHABAAB in this area is called JUULE as for his Nickname and hails from this community living in this area.

Gololey situates beside the long 90KM road between BAL’AD and JOWHAR. AL-SHABAAB targets and ambushes SNA/AMISOM/Government Officials using this road with planting landmines and ambushes as it happened several times that claim hundreds of lives including commanders and Hirshebelle Ministers.

But what noteworthy is, when ever incident happens on the road, Gololey used to suffer in some certain degree as a result from the AL-SHABAAB’s continues target on the road users.

Two days before the incident of the Gololey, nine soldiers were killed by landmine blast of remote control and Al-shabab claimed for the behind.

GOLOLEY has got community school called Gololey Primary School and it has also Health post both run by ZAMZAM Foundation through humanitarian fund under OCHA and other UN agencies.

• The Correlation between Gololey Community and AL-SHABAAB

AL-shabaab usually has got strategy to have special behaviour, in order, to deal with clans and communities that are under its administration and those that are under government.

It has indirect influential administration for those clans living under the government through clan elders and businesspersons, and it uses any means that make to exist its influence in the communities and clans.

AL-SHABAAB extorts money from the clans, communities, businesspersons, Companies and Ngos every year, both, those under its administration and those that are under the government administration, so, AL-shabab calls this money for TAAKULEEN.(Support).

AL-SHABAAB gives special treatment for those clans, communities, Companies and Ngos that pay the TAAKULEEN program.

According to our investigation, this community living in this Village called GOLOLEY has got normal relationship with AL-SHABAAB, in order, for them to keep normal living conditions, and to avoid getting harm from AL-SHABAAB.

In South-Central Somalia Context, there is no a single Ngo that can operate without paying TAAKULEEN, otherwise, Al-shabaab catches them with red hands.

The Ngos operating in Gololey have got normal correlation with AL-shabaab to keep going their humanitarian program in the area.

• The controversial killing of the health workers

On 27^th May 2020, seven health workers in their workstation positioned in Gololey and one resident were abducted at 1.15 PM by unknown five men dressed with SNA Uniform and face-masked. And on the following day 28^th May 2020, the dead bodies of the eight abducted persons were found in a near place.

The episode of killing these health workers have created controversy in the Somali communities, government, and human rights agencies because it was new experience in the area and Somalia at large, and gave a surprise to the community. It raised tensions between the residents and the SNA based around the Village because the residents have remained suspicious of SNA for involving this misfortune, and the community elders and relatives in the villages have accused SNA for the killings.

it is a new occurrence throughout the recent history of Somalia context for abducting and killing health workers together at once, and it is going to be new bad phenomenon rised in the area.

According to the local security expertise in this torn war country with an experience of human rights violations in the past decades; such painful event of abducting and killing seven health workers at once to gether has ever never been happened and recorded in the past experiences.

AL-SHABAAB is the fisrt enemy to the governmnet and people of somalia ,and it is fiercely struggling in an aim to overthrow the international backed government according to them and, as well as, Al-shabaab remains one of the worst greatest human rights violators in the world, and in referencing to their past evil activities, they used to abduct health workers across somalia and deal with clan elders of the hostages, then they used to release either on ransom or without, but if they invove in this massive killing of the health workers, it is going to be a new episode in its operations.

The details of health workers who have been snatched from the Gololey Health post and murdered.

No	Name	Age	Profession	Clan
1	Abuukar Muuse Maaxi	36	Heath worker	Abgaal/Daa’ud
2	Abdirsaaq Abdullahi Qooble	28	Heath worker	Abgaal/Daa’ud
3	Abdi-Azziz Abdukadir Abdule	27	Heath worker	Abgaal/Daa’ud
4	Nuur Haaji Gaas	43	Farmer	Moobleen
5	Mohamed Omar Boore	30	Heath worker	Hilibi
6	Omar Huuti Mohamed	34	Heath worker	Obakar-Abgal
7	Yuusuf Ayuub Abdule	35	Heath worker	Abgaal/Daa’ud
8	Ali Ahmed Ali	32	Heath worker	Abgaal/Daa’ud

The following are the Community elders in the Gololey Village whose responsibility are solving matters in the Community and all of them ruled out the involvement of AL-Shabab in the Case.

– Nabadoon, Ahmed foodcade.

– Nabadon, Hassan Wali Ali

-Nabadoon. Hassan Kurtun.

-Nabadoon, Mahamed Ali Madoowe.

The Clan Elders of the deceased persons accused the SNA Commander called Abuukar Bonow for the slaughter to revenge for the nine soldiers killed by the landmine blast traveling on the road with pick up mounted with weapons in two days before the incident of Gololey came.

After the incident of the nine soldiers killed by the landmine blast; the Commander in the area, General Abuukar Boonow said that, “so long Goloey is beside this road, soldiers using this road remain suffering from Al-Shabab attacks”. Community Elders told us this statement.

Community Elders and some important figures including women in the Village also accused SNA for the murder, reasoning as, in reaction of the soldiers being killed in landmine explosion on the road before two days ago, and also some women who were present when the abduction being carried out indicate that the kidnapers look like SNA behaviour not Al-shabaab’s technique.

The Community Elders also indicated that they got some intelligence from some soldiers who are among the SNA operating under the Commander of Boonow in the Zone of Gololey that “Some SNA behind the killing”.

Some political figures remained suspicion about SNA officials’ involvement in the killing.

On the same day when the incident reported, the Federal Government issued press release for strongly condemning the killing of the health workers and the civilian in Gololey, and the FG blamed on AL-SHABAAB for the behind, and ordered for investigation and also Hirshebel president Mohamed Abdi Waare condemned the episode on twitter and sent a group of investigators to the scene including Hirshabelle ministers.

The Deputy Specail representive of the UN secretory General and humanitarian Coordinator Somalia called Adem Abdelmoula condemned the abduction and killing of the health personnel and call for immediate investigation.

The Chief Commander of SNA, General Odowaa Yussuf Raagi condemned the killking of the health workers and rejected that the accusation over his army involvement.

• Findings of our investigations on GOLOLEY Incident and the Conclusions;

After conducting two weeks of deeply investigations; these are our findings;

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

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• Conclusion:

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

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Challenges:

• The Coronavirus Pandemic, created movement restrictions and banned physical meetings.
• Prevailed insecurity issues in the area
• Fear of Al-shabab ambush in the area
• Eye-witnesses afraid to give more information
• Poor cooperation from the government.
• The Medias, particular, the local radios and the websites, Social medias that were inciting the Communities through different unjustified reports and poor information and as well as conducting interviews with wrong people.
• The case got locally politicised.
• Intimidation from the SNA in the area.

Recommendations:

• We urge the SNA to respect the human rights in the area, and the government to conduct honestly governmental investigation over this case, and put immediately the perpetrators who are in the government system on justice.
• We urge the federal government and Hirshabelle state to secure the security of the residents in Gololey.
• We, as Somali Peace And human Rights Centre, call upon all Human rights Actors, UNSOM, ARMSOM and other stakeholders to carry out immediate independent investigations on GOLOLEY issue and the Current situations going in the region, because of, many violations remained under covered in this region, particular Rape cases.
• We urge the clan elders and Gololey community members to cooperate with the independent investigators on this issue in the area.

 

Report compiled and analysed by:

• Faisal Abdullah,

Director And Expert of Human rights Violations.

• Dahir Ahmed, PhD Candidate.

Depute director and Humanitarian & Security Expert