Police warn of arrests as political tensions rise before Independence Day; only the official national flag permitted.
Somaliland Police Ban Unauthorized Banners.
Somaliland’s leadership is drawing a sharp red line ahead of its most sacred national day.
In a decisive move, Police Commissioner Abdirahman Abdillahi Hassan, known as Abdi Dheere, announced a sweeping ban on unauthorized flags during the upcoming May 18 Independence Day celebrations.
Only one flag — the official Somaliland national flag — will be tolerated.
Anyone displaying clan banners, political party colors, or alternative symbols will face immediate arrest, according to the new police directive.
“Somaliland has only one recognized flag,” Commissioner Abdi Dheere declared at a Sunday press conference in Hargeisa.
“Our forces have orders to detain anyone violating this directive.”
The crackdown extends to markets, public spaces, and social media, where clan-based and political banners have appeared in growing numbers in recent weeks.
Rising Political Tensions Ahead of Independence Day
This year’s May 18 commemorations — marking Somaliland’s 1991 break from Somalia — come amid rising political tensions.
Videos have surfaced showing critics of President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro’s administration waving clan flags and calling for alternative celebrations.
Some activists on social media have openly declared plans to organize “independent May 18 events” — a move authorities see as a dangerous fracture of national unity.
For Somaliland’s government, May 18 is more than a holiday — it is a critical platform to demonstrate unity, legitimacy, and sovereignty to the world.
Any public fragmentation — even symbolic — threatens the region’s long-standing quest for international recognition.
A Battle for the National Narrative
The police order is not just about flags — it is about who controls the meaning of Somaliland’s independence.
Officials are determined to prevent political opponents or clan factions from hijacking the day’s symbolism for their own agendas.
On May 18, there will be no divided banners. There will be only Somaliland — or there will be consequences.
