The economic and political situation of Somaliland is worsening by the day. It is also a stormy year for the civil society and the opposition parties. The current government has made headlines this year in its frantic moves against the opposition parties and the civil society by banning debates regarding the impact of the Kenya sponsored Somali reconciliation conference on Somaliland. And now it seems it is the time for the independent media to be harassed and silenced.

The most recent example is the arrest of the long time editor in chief of Jamhuuriya newspaper Mr. Xasan Siciid Yuusuf . The manner, which Mr. Yuusuf was arrested, was both bizarre and shocking. According to local press reports Mr. Yuusuf was arrested at his office by an armed contingent of the CID branch of the Police in the middle of the night on the 31st of August while he and his staff were busy working on the following day's Jamhuuriya edition. This sudden and unwarranted arrest of the Chief editor of Jamhuuriya came as a shock to Somalilanders inside and outside the country. More than the arrest itself, it is the message that this latest action of Riyaale's administration that worries everyone.

Supporters of the Riyaale administration might want us to dismiss this latest action of human rights violations as a small misstep for an administration that is otherwise on the right course. Not so, though, for many of us who early on mistrusted Riyaale's Gestapo type service in the late dictator's administration of Somalia .

Governments, particularly dictatorial governments, utilize the art of arbitrary arrests and harassments of its citizens to terrorize and intimidate them. In Apartheid South Africa , imprisonment was used to humiliate, belittle and intimidate African nationalists and liberal journalists. We learn from the South African experience that the political and social ramifications of political imprisonment deeply affect those involved and those around them.

In the case of Somaliland , state terrorism and intimidation of journalists in particular and dissidents in general have taken new heights in the Riyaale administration. Since Riyaale came to power by a razor thin margin, which by no means gives him any clear mandate, members of the traditional leaders, intellectuals and journalist have been arrested without a cause. Individuals who have paid tremendous sacrifice to the struggle for Somaliland during the difficult years have been intimidated.

A case in point is the government's withdrawal of the license of Dr. Bulxan's Non-governmental organization. Not only did Dr. Bulxan leave a successful practice in the United States to serve his people, but also he had significantly contributed to the struggle in the 1980s. Dr. Bulxan belonged to a handful of Somaliland scholars who publicized the cause of Somaliland and the atrocities that the Barre government exacted on the citizens. He spearheaded an effort that took the Somaliland cause to the U.S. congress and the State Department by using his personal contacts. It is, of course, a chapter of Somalilands history to see now this warrior being harassed in the hands of Riyaale and company.

The arrest of Mr. Yuusuf must serve as a serious warning regarding the danger facing Somaliland . The arbitrary arrest of the most visible national journalist in Hargeysa raises several questions? Why does the administration of Riyaale fear so much of a simple civilian whose only weapon is a pen and a paper to express the information that passes through his desk? What is there that the administration is hiding from us that cause the invasion of the offices of one of Hargeysa's major newspaper? When will this harassment stop?

Arbitrary imprisonment of dissidents and people with conscience is used by unpopular states to break the will of the people. When journalists like Mr. Yuusuf are imprisoned, they are mistreated, intimidated and humiliated in the hands of the arresting officers or visiting high-ranking officials (as already reported by the local press) for the purpose of showing them where they belong! In South Africa , common criminal were used to invade, beat, torture and humiliate them. In the Soviet Union , families of prisoners used to lose all their social status in the society. Without loosing sight of the fact that both these countries had connection with the dictatorial regime that Riyaale served, political prisoners are fittingly called “ Qaran Dumis ” and many other labels are attached to them to erode their social status. The Infamous Minister of Interior of the Riyaale administration Ismaaciil Adan has already accused Mr. Yuusuf of publishing false information that will threaten the peace and unity of the nation. Sounds familiar?

The heavy handedness of the current regime, which has planted the seeds of fear, only shows, its lack of legitimacy and interest in upholding the constitution. A Zimbabwean political commentator, Mr.Lovemore Madhuku once said: “The media can influence public opinion so those who are against democracy will obviously want to destroy it. The government believes anything divergent to them should be thoroughly punished and that is what is happening in Zimbabwe ”. This also perfectly fits very well the current actions of the Somaliland administration.

Riyaale's government shows little tolerance for criticism, from either the opposition parties and the civil society or the independent press. The death of free expression in Somaliland draws nearer. So, too, does the death of democracy and accountability.

Ahmed A. Hassan

Encinitas, California

E-mail: ahmedh1@sbcglobal.net

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