On March 5, 2026, journalist Abdiqadir Mohamed Abdillahi, also known as Ishqi, was arrested at a police station in Somaliland’s northwestern city of Borama while visiting a local politician, Said Dahir, who detained there, Shafi’i Mohamed Ibrahim, chairperson of the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA), told CPJ.
Shafi’i said the politician was accused of inciting the public against the government in a video published on the journalist’s Facebook page, Ishqi TV. In the March 3 video, Said criticized Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi’s administration, which he said marginalized some local clans, fueling insecurity in Awdal region.
Abdiqadir also serves as SOLJA’s representative for Awdal region, whose capital is Borama.
On March 5, Abdiqadir and Said appeared before a Borama court and were remanded to Borama Central Prison for seven days while police carried out their investigations, Shafi’i and the journalist’s lawyer, Aidrus Ali Abdillahi, told CPJ.
Shafi’i told CPJ that regional officials in Borama told him on March 9 that the journalist had a case to answer and would also likely be charged with incitement.
On March 13, 2026, Abdiqadir was released unconditionally, he and Shafi’i told CPJ.
CPJ did not receive response to emails sent to Somaliland’s ministry of information and police force, or a query via messaging app to a number on the police’s Facebook page.