Somaliland government bans BBC after bias allegations

The government of Somaliland has banned the BBC from broadcasting from its territory after accusing it of bias and negative coverage.

Somaliland information minister Yusuf Ali Koore said in a press conference on Tuesday that the BBC had “put the honour of the Somaliland people in an unacceptable position,” the Somali news website Hiraan reported.

Koore said the BBC had lost “neutrality” and “opposed the independence of the Somaliland government”.

The Somaliland region of northern Somalia declared independence in 1991 following the collapse of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre’s regime. However its independence has not been recognised by any other country.

Yusuf Gabobe, a journalist at The Somaliland Times, tweeted that the Somaliland government had “strong grievances” against the BBC after it had broadcasted “news and commentary promoting religious extremism & terrorism including [a] March interview with a wanted Al-Shabaab fugitive Sheikh Adan Sune”.

BBC Somali operations in Somaliland suspended following strong grievances by the Somaliland gov with regard to the programs' broadcasting of news & commentary promoting religious extremism & terrorism including March interview with a wanted Alshabab fugitive Sheikh Adan Sune.

— Yusuf Gabobe (@yGabobe) July 19, 2022

The Al-Shaabab extremist group controls large swathes of Somalia but has failed to establish a strong presence in Somaliland.

Other Twitter users however linked the decision to the BBC’s recent broadcast of a documentary about champion athlete Mo Farah, in which he said “I was born in Somaliland north of Somalia”, without acknowledging Somaliland as an “independent” country.

So Hargeisa decided to ban @BBCSomali because last week, the @BBC aired a short documentary in which @Mo_Farah said “I was born in Somaliland, North of Somalia”.

A bit over dramatic! #Somalia pic.twitter.com/L0ZneB6AhP

— Suldan I. Mohamed, MA (@SuldanMohamed_) July 19, 2022

The Somaliland government has previously suspended BBC Somali, VOA Somali, and other media organisations after accusing them of denying Somaliland’s self-declared independence, according to Hiraan.