Somaliland police arrest Djibouti President critic

GOOBJOOG NEWS|HARGEISA: A fierce critic of Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh has been arrested in his hometown of Gabiley by Somaliland authorities. 

Aarre Suleyman Owled, a Djiboutian national who has maternal roots in Somaliland was picked up by sleuths after a post on social media criticizing the Djiboutian president emerged. 

A video taken shortly by Aarre before his arrest said he did not know the reason behind his detention, adding that he feared being handed over to the Djiboutian government, and called for protection from the Somaliland public.

A Somaliland lawyer, Guled Ahmed Jama (Dafac), known as an agitator for freedom of expression, has urged all people of good conscience to call on the Somaliland government not to hand over Aarre to the Djiboutian government and to release him unconditionally. 

Somaliland authorities are reportedly planning to extradite Aarre to Djibouti, where he is said to be unable to live freely due to differences with the Djiboutian government.

The Somaliland government has been known for cracking down on journalists and individuals holding dissenting views against its administration, with only last month seeing 15 journalists arrested for covering an incident in Hargeisa’s main prison.