MOGADISHU, Somalia 4 December 2025 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) welcomes the release of journalist Mohamed Abdi Abdillahi, known as Andar, from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Hargeisa, Somaliland, where he spent two days in detention without a warrant.
Mohamed Andar, who reports for MM Somali TV and is active on his Facebook page, was arrested on 29 November by Somaliland police in Hargeisa after he posted a report claiming that “local youth in the city had complained about foreign individuals allegedly engaging in sexual activity while being guarded by police officers”. The post was later removed from the journalist’s page.
Mohamed Andar spent two days at the Hargeisa CID. Local journalists told SJS that police had threatened to bring charges against him; however, the police eventually decided to release him without charge.
A representative of the Somaliland Journalists Association told SJS that the Somaliland Police Command has withdrawn the accusations against the journalist.
Separately, on 4 November, police in Hargeisa arrested Mohamed Andar and his camera operator Ahmed Heersare, who were briefly detained while conducting interviews with former members of the Somaliland army who are disabled and had complained about the lack of adequate welfare support from the government. The former soldiers were holding a protest in Hargeisa city, and when journalists arrived to cover the event, they were immediately arrested by the police. They were released the same day without charge, and the journalists were unable to continue reporting the story.
Somaliland has seen an increase in attacks on and arrests of journalists. SJS has documented 35 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists in Somaliland between January and November 2025. Journalists reporting on police violations, community complaints, corruption allegations, and the security situation in the Sanaag and Awdal regions are particularly targeted.
“We welcome the release of journalist Mohamed Andar and the decision by police in Hargeisa to withdraw their accusations,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin. “Detaining a journalist without a warrant and threatening charges simply for reporting public concerns is unacceptable. We urge the Somaliland authorities to respect press freedom and protect journalists, not target them.”