Tuesday June 24, 2025
Garowe (HOL) — Puntland regional government has acknowledged it does not have dedicated rehabilitation centers for young prisoners who defect from al-Shabab and ISIS or are captured during security operations.
Speaking before the Puntland Parliament on Monday, Justice Minister Mohamed Abdiwahaab Ahmed said these individuals are currently being held in regular prisons due to the significant security threat they pose.
Minister Ahmed said such individuals are too dangerous to be placed in community-based rehabilitation centers or standard facilities.
The minister’s comments followed a recent visit by Puntland lawmakers to several prisons, where they observed former al-Shabab and ISIS members held in custody. The MPs called for the establishment of special centers to rehabilitate former militants, especially younger detainees.
In 2018, at least 10 al-Shabab inmates escaped from a rehabilitation center in Garowe. Most were teenagers captured during the 2016 battles in Suuj and Garmaal, highlighting long-standing concerns about the security and management of such facilities.