Tuesday July 19, 2022
Hargeisa (HOL) - The Somaliland government has suspended BBC Somali from operating in its region after it was accused of violating the sovereignty of Somaliland.
“We have decided to stop all the BBC Somali from operating in Somaliland. It has put the honour of the Somaliland people in an unacceptable position. It lost its neutrality for the people speaking in the Somali language and opposed the independence of the Somaliland government. BBC Somali has also disrespected the independence of Somaliland,” the Minister of Information, Saleeban Yusuf Ali Koore, said in a press conference in Hargeisa on Tuesday.
The Minister added that the Somali BBC radio ignored the existence of Somaliland and that he received several complaints from residents about what they viewed as negative coverage by BBC
In past years, Somaliland has suspended BBC Somali, VOA Somali, Universal and other media outlets, accusing them of violating the sovereignty and denying the existence of Somaliland, although the issues were later resolved.
The BBC Somali radio has been a primary news source for Somali news for 65 years, winning the trust of generations of Somali audiences during that long period.While internationally recognized as part of Somalia, Somaliland - with Hargeisa as its capital - has been a de facto state that operates outside the control of the Somali federal government since declaring independence in 1991 during Somalia’s civil war.