The plane carrying the prisoners touched down shortly before dusk in Mogadishu and for these young men – its home at last
These prisoners are returning from Ethiopia – where they spent years behind bars
For them – things changed in May following a visit to Ethiopia by Somalia’s president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo
“The total number of prisoners here today is 114 – they are from prisons in Jigjiga, serving various jail terms – with some planned to serve a 20 year term. It’s based on recent talks that the Somali leadership reached an agreement with Ethiopia”. Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mohamed Ali Noor said
Most of the prisoners were nabbed while en route to Sudan – and then Libya where cartels continue to make thousands of dollars through human trafficking.
Some of their colleagues made the journey to Europe – but not all were lucky
Addis Ababa meanwhile says it’s seeking to strengthen relations with Mogadishu.
“The prisoner handover is a sign of a positive gesture between our two countries. The request was made by the Somali leadership and we hope this will boost the relations between our two countries – it’s a good beginning and we hope our two countries can work together on many matters” Ali Noor further said.
President Farmajo visited Ethiopia in May – where he reached a number of agreements with Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn
Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre also played an important role in overseeing the prisoners return after he represented Mogadishu at the 29th African Union Summit in Ethiopia
The two countries share a long border with Ethiopian military helping AMISOM push back the Al Qaeda linked militant group Al-Shabaab from south and central Somalia
The two leaders also agreed to boost movement of people and trade between the borders – in a bid to address poverty levels in both countries
Migration remains a major challenge for Somali authorities – and with youth unemployment on the rise there’s little assurance that the prisoners who’ve returned today will remain in the country.
But for now – experts are calling on Mogadishu to invest in its youth and protect them from human traffickers at home and abroad.
