Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to engage with authorities in Somaliland on (a) freedoms of the press and expression and (b) freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention.

The UK engages with the Somaliland Government on an ongoing basis, including with regular meetings between the UK Ambassador to Somalia and President Muse Bihi Abdi (most recently on 18 December 2021). Our engagement covers a broad range of issues; discussion of our shared interests in upholding human rights in Somaliland - including freedom of expression and freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention - is an important element.