Location:  Somalia, Hargeisa
Date: April 14, 2022

Sagal Mustafe Hassan Nur, reporter for Voice of America (VOA), Naima Abdi Ahmed, freelance journalist and YouTuber and eight other journalists were arrested in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region while covering a prison scuffle in its capital, Hargeisa. Police also raided Horn Cable TV, an independent television station in Hargeisa. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the arbitrary arrest of journalists and calls for their immediate release.  

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) announced on April 13, 2022 that at least ten journalists, including Sagal and Naima were arrested as they covered a standoff between inmates and guards at the Hargeisa Central Prison where a riot broke out after prisoners started hurling stones at the guards. 

According to VOA, their reporter Sagal Mustafe Hassan was freed after a short detention, but other journalists remained in custody at Hargeisa’s central police station.

"There are people who misinformed the public about the small incident that happened at the prison. We hold them accountable, and we will not allow such people to go unpunished," the commander-in-chief of the Somaliland Custodial Corps, Brigadier General Ahmed Awale Yusuf said in a news conference following the incident.

Other arrested press members are Mohamed Abdi Sheikh, director of MM Somali TV, Hassan Saleban Harun, reporter for BBC, Ahmed Mohamud Yusuf, reporter for SAAB TV, Hamse Hirsi Hayd, reporter CBA TV , Aydarus Mohamed, Hargeisa director for Goobjoog Tv , Ahmed-nuur Samraawi, reporter for Bulsho TV , Ahmed Said Hassan Shimali, reporter for HornCable TV and Mohamed Faan, cameraman for MM Somalia TV.

Somaliland is a breakaway republic from Somalia that has not won international recognition since it declared its cessation from Somalia in 1991, following the ousting of the Siyad Barre regime.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the arbitrary arrest of journalists and raids in Horn Cable TV by police. We call for the immediate release of those journalists who remain detained. We urge Somaliland forces to stop attacking media and press members. Journalism is not a crime and journalists must be freely exercising their work.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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