Authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland have been urged to unconditionally release freelance online journalist Abdisalan Ahmed Awad and hold intelligence officers accountable for harassing and assaulting him and two colleagues. The call was made by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday.
Attack on Journalists in Hargeisa
On the night of March 18, Abdisalan was traveling in a car with freelance journalist Ali Mahdi Jibril and Shafic Mohamed Ibrahim, a reporter with privately owned Saab TV, when they were ambushed in the capital, Hargeisa.
According to Ali and Shafic, five men, identified as members of the Somaliland Intelligence Agency, dragged the journalists out of the vehicle, beat them, and fired several shots during the attack.
The attackers focused their assault on Abdisalan, accusing him of writing critically about Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi on Facebook and warning him to “leave our president alone.”
Arrest During Ramadan
On the evening of April 3, intelligence officers allegedly arrested Abdisalan shortly after he broke his Ramadan fast at a local restaurant. He has since been held at an undisclosed location, with local rights groups claiming the detention is linked to his public statements about the March 18 attack.
CPJ Condemns Intimidation of Press
“It is shocking that security agents in Hargeisa are shooting at and beating up journalists whose Facebook posts they do not like,” said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative.
“Authorities in Somaliland should unconditionally release Abdisalan Ahmed Awad and investigate the March 18 attack in which intelligence officers shot at three journalists.”
Abdisalan’s Online Presence
Abdisalan, also known as “Germany,” runs a Facebook page with over 220,000 followers. He publishes original reports, commentary, and shares news from other outlets.
In the days leading up to the March 18 attack, he posted about President Muse Bihi’s visit to the United States, protests surrounding the trip, and Somaliland’s push for international recognition.
Unanswered Calls for Accountability
Despite repeated attempts, CPJ’s phone calls and messages to the offices of the Somaliland president, ministries of justice, interior, information, and foreign affairs, as well as the police commissioner and head of intelligence, went unanswered.
Rights groups, including the Somaliland Journalists Association, the Somali Journalists Syndicate, and the Human Rights Center (HRC), have condemned the assault and arrest, urging authorities to respect press freedom.
