Analysis

Hargeysa, Somaliland, October 21, 2006 (SL Times) – Although it is tempting to assume that the burning of issues of Haatuf Newspaper (Somaliland Times’s sister newspaper) is an isolated incident, it is not really an isolated incident. The reason is that the individuals who burned Haatuf Newspaper were some of the same people who organized the demonstration in Buroa on behalf of Mohammed Ismail who has been charged with terrorism and is now in Hargeysa’s jail. The individuals who burned Haatuf newspaper are some of the few Somalilanders who flaunt their opposition to Somaliland’s independence. Here is a quick listing of some of the most recent damage that extremists have inflicted on Somaliland:- They distributed a fake video alleging that Mohammed Ismail was tortured in Hargeysa jail where he is being held on charges of terrorism.- They held illegal demonstrations in Hargeysa, Buroa and Sanag.- They sent threatening telephone calls to Haatuf’s office promising to burn Haatuf’s offices if Haatuf does not desist from criticizing Mogadishu’s terrorist courts.- They burned Haatuf Newspaper in public.