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Somaliland police raid and shut down independent newspaper
NEW YORK – Police in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland on December 13 raided the Hargeisa offices of the critical independent daily Hubaal, arrested two staff members, and ordered the publication to be shut down, according to news reports. This is the third time the paper has been targeted this year.
Police told Hubaal staff to turn off their cellphones, and ordered them to leave the offices, according to news reports. Mustafa Mohamed, a reporter, and Osman Ahmed, an IT specialist, were arrested, but were released today with no explanation.
Mohamed Ahmed Jama, managing director of the paper and the owner of Hubaal Media Network, which publishes the paper,has gone into hiding, a representative of the Somaliland Journalists Association told CPJ. The offices were closed today. It is unclear if the paper will resume publishing.
Somaliland Police Commissioner Gen. Abdullahi Fadal told local journalists that police had a court warrant allowing them to close the offices because Hubaal had recently published stories that were dangerous to the country’s internal security.
Hubaal had published a story that claimed the police were divided into two rival groups. The police commissioner denied the allegations on public television the day before the raid, local journalists said.
“Authorities must put an end to this repeated harassment of journalists at Hubaal,” said CPJ East Africa Representative Tom Rhodes. “Somaliland will never achieve its democratic aspirations if the press does not feel empowered to report critically on the government.”
In June, the Attorney General filed criminal charges against Mohamed and Hassan Hussein, editor of Hubaal, and suspended the newspaper for more than a month on defamation charges. Police detained Mohamed and Hassan for one day a week later, local journalists said. In August, President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud issued a presidential pardon dropping all charges against Mohamed and Hassan.
Two masked gunmen raided the Hubaal offices on April 24 and fired at Mohamed, whose arm and finger were broken in the attack, according to news reports. The gunmen were later identified as police officers. The attack followed a series of critical articles published in Hubaal that accused the government of nepotism and misuse of office.
Authorities arrested one of the gunmen implicated in the April raid on Hubaal, but he was released without being charged and without a court hearing, local journalists said. The Military Court Chairman Brigadier-General Yusuf Farah claimed the gunman, Ahmed
Hassan, could not be held for more than 180 days since the complainants had not followed up with the case, according to news reports.
Journalists staged a protest over Ahmed Hassan’s release on December 3, according to news reports. But police detained four journalists for six days on charges of holding an illegal protest, local journalists told CPJ.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have disclosed details of their recent closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu, explaining that the engagement focused on strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The clarification came amid speculation surrounding the meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja after leaders of several opposition parties attended an Iftar dinner hosted by the president earlier in the week.
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Speaking during a gathering hosted in Abuja by the SDP’s former presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo on Friday, the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said the meeting with Tinubu followed an official invitation from the Presidency and lasted about an hour.
According to Gombe, the discussion centred on the need to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral laws and restore public confidence in the country’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 polls.
He explained that the meeting provided an opportunity for party leaders to remind the president of the importance of conducting transparent, free, and credible elections.
Gombe noted that democracy can only thrive when governments listen to the concerns of citizens and ensure electoral processes that guarantee fairness and accountability.
The SDP chairman also expressed concern over growing voter apathy, pointing to the low turnout recorded in the recent Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the Abuja Municipal Area Council election witnessed only about seven per cent voter turnout, which he described as a clear sign that many Nigerians are losing confidence in the electoral system.
Gombe urged the government and members of the National Assembly to take urgent steps to review electoral laws and rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s democracy.
Also speaking, the National Chairman of IPAC, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, said political parties used the meeting to raise concerns about aspects of proposed electoral reforms, particularly issues related to indirect primaries and the mandatory electronic transmission of results.
Dantalle explained that the parties appealed to the president to use his influence to encourage legislative review where necessary, noting that reforms should strengthen, rather than complicate, the democratic process.
He expressed optimism that Tinubu would consider the concerns raised and support necessary amendments that would improve the electoral system.
The IPAC chairman also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strictly adhere to electoral guidelines as preparations for the next election cycle begin.
Earlier in his remarks, Adebayo cautioned political actors against turning the 2027 general elections into a do-or-die contest, stressing that the primary goal of democracy should be the progress and stability of Nigeria rather than personal political victories.
He urged leaders across political parties to encourage citizens to actively participate in the democratic process and ensure that elections are conducted peacefully and transparently.
President Bola Tinubu and Mr. Taiwo Oyedele during his nomination on Wednesday.
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