Mandera Prison

Inmates freed from the prison by the Somali National Movement in 1983

When the prison came under the control of the following Marxist-Leninist Somali Democratic Republic, it began to hold increasing numbers of political prisoners and those who opposed the government, including those seeking the re-independence of Somaliland. Two successful attacks, overseen by the anti-communist Somali National Movement (SNM),[9] were conducted in January 1983[10] and May 1988.[11] In both instances all prisoners, numbering in the hundreds and including dozens of political prisoners, were released.[10]

The first attack, which took place on 2 January 1983, was also the SNM's first military operation against the Somali Democratic government.[9] Operating from a makeshift Ethiopian base, a commando SNM unit's deep infiltration into the nation and sudden attacks caught the Somali National Army off guard, and saw the prison temporarily fall under the SNM's control.[9] The SNM released all 744 of the prisoners detained at Mandera Prison, where they were told the following by Colonel Mohamed Hashi Lihle:

"O prisoners, you are from everywhere. Now we will release you. You have three options to choose from: (1) whoever wants to join the SNM, as we are fighting the regime, you can come and join the Jihad; (2) whoever wants to go and join his family, we will help you get back home; (3) whoever wants to join the regime, you should know we pushed them back to Abdaal when we came; so go to them and we will not do anything to you until you reach them. But be careful: we might attack you later and then our bullets will hurt you. So choose one of these options".[9]

— Mohamed Hashi Lihle

The speech not only motivated many of the Somalis in the prison to join the SNM, but became a major symbol of propaganda in the media across the Somali Democratic Republic, bringing attention to the otherwise politically isolated movement within the nation.[9]

The second attack, which took place at the dawn of 29 May 1988, was part of the SNM's successful 1988 Hargeisa-Burao offensive. The attack on the prison, which was not originally planned to take place, became necessary after reasonable fear arose that Somali forces would kill the prisoners detained there in retaliation for the SNM's recent successful capture of Adadley.[12] After marching from Adadley through the night of 28 May, SNM forces arrived at dawn at the prison, where they were met with fierce resistance from the defending Somali forces, killing 10 SNM fighters and wounding more.[12] A M40 recoilless rifle was eventually able to penetrate a hole at a weak point of the prison, where the SNM could enter.[12] After the SNM's entrance, the prison's commander, who refused to surrender, was shot on sight, and all 664 inmates of the prison were freed.[12] Among the freed were 34 Ethiopians, Southern Somalis, and former mayor of Hargeisa Barre Langadhe.[12] A vehicle was provided to the former Ethiopian prisoners to transport them back to Jijiga, and the remaining prisoners who wanted to join the SNM were armed. Shortly afterwards, the SNM regrouped and returned to Adadley.[12]

Mandera Prison is located alongside the first police academy in Somaliland. Positioned separately across from the prison itself, construction of the academy and station began in 1968, and was finished in the late 1960s or early 1970s.[17] The finished buildings were designed to house, feed, and provide basic training for new prison guards and police officers who would gain experience by working at the prison.[17] In modern times; the buildings have on multiple occasions been used to hold detainees awaiting trial, who if found guilty, can quickly be sent to the prison proper.[1] Reports of abuse have surfaced from some detainees who have spent extended periods of time being held at the station.[1]

Mandera Prison during British colonial rule hosted a sponsored prison education program which taught blacksmithing, building, carpentry,[13] gardening, tailoring, and poultry farming skills.[5][13] This education was offered to willing inmates for a dual purpose: of giving them a paying profession to prevent poverty and recidivism,[18] and of transferring any profits from the farms and shops to British government departments.[5] Nowadays, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has sponsored the education program since 2014.[18] Whether some of the programs from British rule are still in operation is unknown; because only the teaching of carpentry, welding, and tailoring skills are discussed by the ICRC in a 2016 report.[18] Between Mandera Prison and Puntland's Bosaso Prison, the program regularly serves 180 inmates.[18]

Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, who confirmed the disproportionate juvenile detention rates in a 2022 visit

The prison in recent history has gained a reputation for holding inmates, mainly juveniles, for long sentences that often do not match the severity of the crimes committed. This has led to a growing reliance on paralegals to secure the legal rights of inmates in the prison to an acceleration of their passage through the lengthy criminal justice system.[19] This was not always the case though, as findings from a survey taken between 1948 and 1950 showed the juvenile population in Mandera Prison, and Somaliland's prisons as a whole, decreasing.[20] The reverse has taken place recently, with multiple instances of one- to two-year prison sentences being documented for juveniles convicted of the theft of mobile phones.[19][21] This population of the prison mainly consisting of underaged schoolchildren was confirmed by the Waddani opposition party leader Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi on a visit conducted on 24 November 2022,[22] in which he described the situation as a "gross violation of the detainees' human and civil rights".[23]

A protest taking place in the capital Hargeisa in 2022, whose coverage by journalists often leads to prison time.

The prison throughout its history has been used to hold journalists[16][24] and politicians[25] en masse[26] whose reason for arrest is often only for reporting on unflattering crimes and protests in the nation, or for promoting the opposing parties' beliefs, calling into question the freedom of speech in Somaliland.[16][27] In modern times, politicians and protesters in support of the opposing Waddani party or more broadly against the current government have been detained in the prison[26] often without due process, and held for an indefinite amount of time.[16] Instances of this occurring in the past year were seen on 9 June 2022,[16] 15 August 2022,[27] and 9 November 2022.[28] Journalist detentions typically receive some form of condemnation and call for immediate release by at least one of the various journalists' rights groups that are active in the region.[16][27] Such groups have had some success in the past.[29][27]

On multiple occasions; the prison has been recorded as, and condemned for, executing some of its prisoners as recently as in 2022. On both 15 January 2020[30] and 26 November 2020,[31] six prisoners convicted of murders were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on the outskirts of the prison. On both occasions, the European Union released statements against the executions, restating their opposition to the irreversible form of capital punishment.[30][32] Another execution by firing squad occurred on 16 February 2022 when four men convicted of the killing of soldiers were executed. These actions were again rebuked, this time by the United Kingdom, whose representative in Hargeisa responded by saying that execution "has no deterrent effect on crime".[33]