Hargeisa (SD) – Somaliland’s opposition parties Waddani and UCID have accused Somaliland Minister of Defense Abdiqani Mohamud Ateye of arresting traditional leaders and the head of Badacas TV.

Secretaries of information and internal affairs of the Somaliland opposition parties, said the minister arrested traditional leaders for opposing his statement against Somaliland’s speaker of parliament Abdirizak Khalif Ahmed, also arresting the head of Badacas TV, for broadcasting the traditional leader’s rebuke.

“We are at a stage where ministers are responding to the speaker of parliament. Local elders apologized to the public for the minister’s remarks, and they were arrested, the head of the Badacas TV was also arrested for broadcasting their remarks,” said Wadani Home Secretary Mohamed Farah Abdi.

UCID Information Secretary Yusuf Kayse Abdillahi, also accused the government of arbitrarily arresting public figures and detaining them for long period of time without due process.

“The current government of the Kulmiye does not think it is a crime to just arrest someone for a while and then release them without a reason. Today we visited Director Abdirashid (Badacas TV) in jail, his detention was not legal, any unlawful detention is unconstitutional” said Yusuf Keyse.

The Somaliland government so far did not comment on the arrest of the head of the Badacas TV and traditional leaders from Sellel district, for allegedly contradicting the minister’s response to an interview given by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.