HARGEISA (KAAB TV) – Since his detention at Hargeisa Airport, opposition MP Mohamed Abib has yet to be seen by his family or colleagues, raising concerns about his well-being, according to officials from Kaah political organisation.
Abdullahi Ibrahim Habane, deputy chair of the Kaah political organization, revealed that a group of politicians was denied access to Mandera Prison, located outside Hargeisa, where it is believed Abib is being held.
“On Sunday, 8 September, we visited Mandera Prison, but the prison commander, General Libaax, refused to meet us. When we tried to speak with his deputy, he also avoided us,” Habane said.
Speaking to the media outside the prison, Habane emphasized that denying visitation rights to family and friends of detainees is a violation of both local and international laws. Despite several attempts, they have faced significant obstacles in seeing the detained MP.
Abib, an outspoken opposition figure from the Awdal region, was detained by Somaliland’s security services on 2 September shortly after his return from Dubai, UAE.
No charges have yet been filed against the MP, and the Somaliland House of Representatives has rejected a request from the Attorney General to revoke Abib’s parliamentary immunity in order to pursue criminal charges.
In August, the Attorney General had asked the House of Representatives to strip Abib of his immunity, accusing him of meeting with officials from the Somali and Djiboutian governments and publicly criticizing Somaliland’s role in the conflict in Las Anod.
Clashes between Somaliland forces and local Dhulbahante fighters in Las Anod last year resulted in significant civilian casualties.
It remains unclear if these accusations are directly related to Abib’s detention.
Additionally, Abib’s home region, Awdal, is at the center of a controversial memorandum of understanding between Somaliland and Ethiopia, which grants Ethiopia 20 square kilometers of land for a military base—an agreement strongly opposed by the Somali federal government.