Opposition MP Mohamed Abib Detained Upon Returning to Somaliland

HARGEISA, Somaliland (AXADLE) – On Monday, Somaliland’s security forces apprehended opposition Member of Parliament Mohamed Abib at Hargeisa Airport, right after he arrived from Dubai, UAE.

Abib, known for his critical stance against President Muse Bihi Abdi, was intercepted as he set foot on the tarmac.

Sources at the airport disclosed to Kaab TV that intelligence officials were on standby, ready to take action as soon as the MP deplaned.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Said Mire, reported that authorities initially took Abib to a local police precinct but later discovered that intelligence agents had whisked him away to an undisclosed location.

A native of the Awdal region, MP Abib has long been at odds with the Somaliland government.

In August, the Somaliland Attorney General pushed for the revocation of Abib’s parliamentary immunity, aiming to file criminal charges against him.

Documents procured by our correspondent indicate that the Attorney General accused Abib of engaging with officials from the Somali and Djiboutian governments, making disparaging remarks regarding the situation in Las Anod. There, violent confrontations between Somaliland forces and local Dhulbahante fighters left numerous civilians harmed last year.

However, the motion to lift Abib’s immunity hit a snag due to insufficient attendance in the House.

Whether Abib’s recent detention relates directly to these claims remains ambiguous.

In his home region of Awdal, a contentious memorandum of understanding between Somaliland and Ethiopia is unfolding. This agreement grants Ethiopia access to 20 square kilometers of land for a military base—an arrangement that the Somali federal government fiercely opposes.

Abdirahman Abdullahi Irro, leader of the Waddani Party, fiercely criticized the detention of Abib, labeling it a profound infringement of legal rights and constitutional safeguards.

Addressing a local assembly in Gebiley, Irro declared, “I urge President Muse Bihi, the Attorney General, and the Chairman of the Supreme Court to recognize that arresting MP Mohamed Abib constitutes a violation of law and an unmistakable infringement on our Constitution. Abib possesses parliamentary immunity that no one can challenge.”

“Abib must be released immediately and without conditions,” he asserted emphatically.