The United Kingdom has been left disappointed and angered by the Somaliland ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation.
United Kingdom MPs who have been lobbying for the country to recognize Somaliland as an independent state say they ban in BBC has left them exposed.
“We have been talking about how this country (Somaliland) is very democratic and respects human rights and freedom of expression, but the ban imposed on the BBC and recent attacks on the media has left us seriously concerned,” one of the MPs said.
“It is equally worrying that the country seems to be headed into political turmoil if it fails to hold its presidential elections as per the schedule,” the MP who sought anonymity said.
Somaliland earlier in the week banned the BBC from operating in the country for allegedly undermining the identity and dignity of the self-declared independent nation not recognized by Somalia or any other country, local authorities in control of the area have announced.
Somaliland Information Minister Saleban Yusuf Ali Koore told reporters that the ban on the BBC had been imposed on the grounds that the network had lost its neutrality and was acting against the independence of Somaliland.
