On October 10, 2025, Somaliland authorities in the disputed city of Erigavo arrested Abdirahman Mohamed Hidig and detained him for a week, according to the journalist and the Somali Journalists Association, a rights group.
Abdirahman, whose Facebook page, with over 81,000 followers, covers daily events in Erigavo, the largest city in Sanaag Region, told CPJ he was taken into custody after publishing an interview with two women who said their brother, a Somaliland soldier, had been killed in the line of duty earlier that month.
The women said authorities were pressuring one of their brothers to accept financial compensation, or blood money, for the murder. They appealed to Somaliland’s president not to allow that one brother to negotiate as he did not represent the wider family.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but it has not been recognized internationally. In recent years, Somaliland has fought for control of Sanaag and neighboring Sool and Cayn regions.
In April, Somalia recognized the disputed territories, which it calls SSC-Khatumo, as a sixth federal member state, after fighting in December 2024 displaced thousands. Meanwhile, Somaliland has sought to strengthen its presence in Sanaag with a peace deal and conference to unify rival clans and a presidential visit.
Abdirahman said he was detained at a police station for four days and then appeared in court, where the judge ordered a further seven days’ detention at the main prison.
On October 17, 2025, the journalist was released after signing a statement promising not to publish news critical of the regional administration, he told CPJ, adding the prison did not have proper hygiene and many inmates were sick.
CPJ contacted Sanaag Region Governor Ahmed Abdi Muse via messaging app to request comment but did not receive an immediate response.