Journalist Ahmed-Zaki Ibrahim Mohamud
Monday, 9 March 2026 | Author – Alex Onyango | Nairobi-Kenya | Screenshot: NTV Kenya/YouTube | GT-News |
A journalist in Somaliland has been held without formal charges since late February after unidentified individuals raided his media outlet and arrested him in the capital, Hargeisa, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Ahmed-Zaki Ibrahim Mohamud, founder of the online outlet Warrame Media, was detained on the evening of February 22 when individuals believed to be security officers stormed the organisation’s offices, according to the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA), his lawyer and family members.
The New York-based CPJ on Friday called for his immediate release, saying authorities had failed to present charges nearly two weeks after his arrest.
“Ahmed-Zaki Ibrahim Mohamud joins a long list of journalists in Somaliland who have been arrested and held under dubious circumstances in recent months,” said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ’s Africa programme coordinator. “Nearly two weeks after taking this journalist into custody, authorities have failed to formally present charges in court.”
Ahmed-Zaki’s family said they first learned about his arrest through social media posts on February 23 and initially could not determine where he was being held.
The following day, they discovered he was detained at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in Hargeisa, although it remains unclear where he was taken immediately after his arrest, according to his lawyer Abdifitah Saleban Abukar.
Family members and the lawyer said authorities initially denied them access to the journalist.
On February 24, Ahmed-Zaki appeared before the Marodi-Jeh Regional Court, which ordered that he be held for seven days while investigators prepared their case, according to SOLJA.
Relatives were briefly allowed to visit him on February 26. During the meeting, Ahmed-Zaki told them he believed his arrest was politically motivated following the publication of interviews with a former rebel commander and a member of parliament critical of President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi’s administration.
On March 4, the court extended his detention by three more days as prosecutors prepared to file charges, his lawyer said.
Ahmed-Zaki was later transferred to Mandhera Prison, a high-security facility about 95 km (60 miles) northeast of Hargeisa, according to his brother.
Press freedom groups say journalists in Somaliland have faced increasing pressure over the past year, with several reporters and media workers detained.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, though it has not gained widespread international recognition.
CPJ said it had sought comment from the Somaliland presidency, the Ministry of Information and police authorities, but had not received a response.
