By: Yusuf M Hasan
ERIGAVO (Somalilandsun) – A journalist is currently a guest of the state courtesy of the Erigavo mayor Ismail Haji Nuur.
Journalist Abdilahi Hussein Darwish who is the Sanaag regional stringer for Waheen newspaper, Oodweynews.com and Royal TV was apprehended at his Erigavo offices early morning by police officers under orders from both the Erigavo mayor and regional Intelligence officer.
While this is the 10th time for Journalist Darwish to be arrested on issues connected with Mayor Ismail Haji Nuur it is not yet clear what the reasons are this time though it is certain that the arrest as usual is as usual a muscle flexing tactic geared towards scaring the scribe considering that again as usual he will be released a few days later.
It is therefore obvious that the motives behind the never ending arrests that end without the journalist arraigned in court are dubious.
Without support to either the mayor or Journalist and in lieu of the seemingly endless dispute among the two resulting in the current tenth incarnation of the journalist it is imperative that the central government in Hargeisa in partnership with Sanaag regional authorities and traditional leaders intervene and bring the matter to conclusion.
The failure to act now will certainly result in negative image given to the country by some media organizations like CPJ and IFJ whose condemnations shall then be legitimate even though the two media defenders collate their information from obscure sources like NUSOJ rather than the Somaliland Journalist Association-SOLJA
