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SOMALIA-SOMALILAND-MEDIA-RIGHTS
Somaliland arrests journalists, closes 2 TV channels: RSF
MOGADISHU, May 30, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The breakaway territory of Somaliland
has arrested several journalists and closed two TV stations covering its
dispute with the neighbouring Somali region of Puntland, Reporters without
Borders (RSF) said Tuesday.
According to the Somaliland authorities, TV channels SBS and SOMNews have
been banned for being “involved in political campaigns” and not maintaining
“the neutrality they are supposed to observe”, the media watchdog said.
SBS reporter Mohamed Ahmed Jama Bidhanshe was arrested on Tuesday while
covering a protest march in Las Anod, the chief town of Sool region in
southeastern Somaliland.
This happened two days after Bulsho TV journalist Abdirahman Keyse Tungub
was detained there, who also had reported on local discontent over the
fighting at the border, RSF said.
Somaliland is a self-declared republic in northern Somalia. It has been de
facto independent from the rest of the war-torn country since 1991, but is
not recognised internationally.
In recent months, the Sool region has been the theatre of heavy clashes
between Somaliland and Puntland, a semi-autonomous part of Somalia.
“We condemn the closure of privately-owned TV stations and we call for the
immediate release of these two journalists, who were just doing their job,”
said Arnaud Froger, head of RSF’s Africa desk.
“The already deteriorated security environment for journalists covering
this conflict has been compounded in recent weeks by growing, unjustified
harassment by the Somaliland authorities. The arbitrary arrests and closures
must stop and the freedom to inform must be guaranteed.”
Earlier this month, freelance journalist Adam Jama Oogle was detained
without charge for nine days after reporting on Facebook that people in Sool
wanted Somali unity, RSF said.
BSS/AFP/MRI/1755 hrs