Gunshots at Hargeisa Airport Spark Investigation as Muse Bihi’s Convoy Blocked.
Somaliland authorities sought to calm tensions on Monday after gunshots were fired outside Hargeisa’s Cigaal International Airport during the departure of former President Muse Bihi Abdi.
Police spokesperson Abdiaziz Sheikh Ismail confirmed that the shots came from security officers who discharged their weapons into the air and said no one was injured. The incident, he stressed, was quickly contained.
According to the police, the confrontation began when airport security and members of Bihi’s accompanying party clashed over vehicle access to the restricted area.
Footage circulated on social media showed vehicles in Bihi’s convoy being stopped at the airport gate, prompting a brief standoff.
Moments later, the former president and his delegation were seen abandoning their cars and walking into the airport on foot before boarding their flight to the United Arab Emirates.
Police said two officers who fired the shots have been taken into custody, and a committee of senior Somaliland Police Force officials has been established to investigate what led to the escalation.
Spokesperson Abdiaziz emphasized that the state fully respects all former national leaders and said the situation remains under control while inquiries continue.
The incident immediately triggered political accusations from figures close to the former president. Mubaarig Taani, Bihi’s former presidential secretary, alleged in a Facebook post that the government intentionally obstructed the trip and described the airport confrontation as “an act of terrorism,” vowing a response—language that sharply contradicts the police account and risks inflaming partisan tensions.
Aviation Minister Fuad Ahmed Nuuh, addressing reporters after the incident, urged political figures to avoid turning official travel into campaign-style displays, noting that previous presidents adhered to established protocols when entering and exiting the airport.
The episode highlights the increasingly brittle political atmosphere surrounding Somaliland’s post-election transition and the sensitivities involved when high-profile figures travel with large entourages.
For now, police insist the disruption was a brief procedural dispute—not a targeted attempt to block Bihi’s movement—and that the matter is firmly contained. But with political rivals already framing the event through competing narratives, the investigation’s findings will carry significant weight in determining whether this was an isolated security lapse or the start of a broader political confrontation.
