Somalia: Somaliland Enforces Somalia Politics Ban, Warns of Treason Charges

What the report says

Somaliland’s interior ministry has directed security agencies to enforce a long-running ban on involvement in Somalia’s political activities, escalating a dispute over the territory’s claimed independence. The order was issued in Hargeisa and was signed on October 28 by Interior and Security Minister Abdalle Mohamed Arab, according to the report published by Horn Diplomat and distributed by AllAfrica.

The directive says that participating in Somalia’s political affairs, as barred by a 2003 joint decision of Somaliland’s House of Representatives and House of Elders, amounts to treason against the “independence and national existence” of Somaliland. It says anyone who takes part in the prohibited activities could face legal action under the relevant laws and be brought before court by security agencies.

The measure applies broadly to people from Somaliland, including officials, citizens, associations, political parties, intellectuals, traditional leaders and writers. The ministry also accused Somalia’s government and unnamed other countries of working against Somaliland’s independence, though it did not identify the individuals or specific actions it was referring to.

The report did not list any arrests, specific penalties or named political events covered by the ban. It said the ministry framed the directive as necessary to protect public security, stability and Somaliland’s sovereignty, and urged Somalilanders at home and abroad to unite behind that position.