From Somaliland Sun

Somalilandsun- Ordinary citizens, intellectuals and government officials in Somalia shall not the opportunity to publicly debate the issue of Somaliland sovereignty.
This opportunity was to have been availed courtesy of public speeches on the issue by prominent Somaliland intellectual Dr Hussein Abdilahi Bulhan in Mogadishu.
The much anticipated campaign to promote the tenets behind the Somaliland sovereignty which would have been the first ever anywhere in Somalia has been curtailed by the government of Somaliland
According to Geeska Afrika sources the public speeches by Dr Bulhan that would have started on Saturday 6th May failed to take off after the government stopped the presenter’s departure from Egal airport in Hargeisa on Friday.

“Dr Bulhan requested to president Silanyo pertaining to permission for the pro Somaliland public debates in Mogadishu Somalia were denied” said our source.

Since Dr Bulhan announced his intent that has received much public support in both countries a number of Somalia based non governmental organizations as well Mogadishu university had arranged to facilitate the public debates not only on the neighbouring country’s capital but any other town so desired by the Somaliland intellectually.

Though it is difficult to surmise the thinking and reasoning behind denial of permission by the administration this novel idea would have been very beneficial to Somaliland as it would have availed a public forum for the two opposing camps discuss their positions related to withdrawal of Somaliland from union with Somalia and subsequent reclamation of self rule in 1991.