Hargeysa, Somaliland, February 3, 2007 (SL Times) – Two ex-combatants who fought for the Somali National Movement's liberation struggle against Somalia's late dictator Siyad Barre in the 1980s, were arrested in Hargeysa by the Somaliland police.

Mohamed Ahmed Gahnug (Ba'ood) and Ahmed Omar Abdillahi (Hamarji) were seized only a few hours after they had attended a veterans meeting that called on Somaliland President Dahir Rayale to immediately and unconditionally release from prison the three Haatuf journalists.

Held at the headquarters of SOOYAAL (The SNM's war veterans association) the meeting was attended by hundreds of former fighters. In a statement issued at the end of the meeting, the veterans said that the only reason why Mr. Rayale is keeping Haatuf journalists in jail is to take revenge against the newspaper for exposing his corruption and incompetence.

On January 2, 2007 Haatuf publisher Yusuf Abdi Gabobe and editor Ali Abdi Dini were arrested by Somaliland police. On January 14, 2007 Haatuf's Borama correspondent Mohamed Omar Sh. Ibrahim was also arrested.

A number of charges including the defamation of the president and obstruction of police work were brought by the government against the three journalists.

Yusuf Gabobe is an SNM veteran and founder of SOOYAAL.

Meanwhile, the criminal investigation department has imposed a ban in visits to Gabobe and Dini. The two journalists are been held in CID headquarters. Mohamed Omar is in custody at Kod-Buur police station in Hargeysa.

Source: Somaliland Times