In a significant move, the United States has transferred a detainee from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay to Kenya, marking the first transfer in over a year.
Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, a Kenyan national detained since 2007, was relocated following a decision that his continued detention under the “law of war” was no longer necessary.
The Pentagon confirmed Bajabu’s transfer on Tuesday, nearly three years after a Periodic Review Board determined in December 2021 that his detention was unwarranted.
Despite being accused of acting as a facilitator for al Qaeda in East Africa, Bajabu was never formally charged with any crime.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had notified Congress of the plan to transfer Bajabu in November, paving the way for his return to Kenya.
Bajabu’s release follows the last detainee transfer in April 2023, when a 72-year-old al Qaeda associate was sent to Algeria after more than two decades in detention.
The transfer aligns with President Joe Biden’s long-standing goal to close the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention facility, a promise that has proven challenging to fulfill.
When Biden assumed office, approximately 40 detainees remained at the facility. Today, that number has been reduced to 29, with 15 eligible for transfer.
Opened in 2002 during the height of the U.S. war on terror, Guantanamo Bay became a symbol of human rights abuses, with detainees held indefinitely without trial.
While President Barack Obama also pledged to shut it down, his efforts stalled during his eight-year tenure. His successor, Donald Trump, reversed Obama’s policies, vowing to keep the facility open and even suggested adding more prisoners.
Bajabu’s transfer signals renewed efforts by the Biden administration to close the notorious prison, but significant challenges remain, including the fate of three alleged 9/11 conspirators still detained.
