Somaliland/Somalia: Decision to open Catholic church reversed

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Somalia | 24 August 2017

After three decades of closure, the Roman Catholic church in Hargeisa in the breakaway region of Somaliland was officially reopened on 28 July 2017. According to All Africa reporting on 29 July, the opening ceremony was attended by expatriate Christians and some Somaliland ministers. However, on 4 August 2017, the National news outlet reported that the Somaliland government had decided to reverse its decision since Muslim religious leaders and the local population had expressed anger over the reopening. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, says: "Somaliland has been presenting itself as a free and democratic state that deserves recognition from the international community. The country has been holding free elections among other reforms and the decision to reopen the church should also be seen as a part of the broader government strategy to convince the international community to start recognition procedure. However, the decision to close the church down again has shown that the country is not yet up to the standard it has been trying to sell to the international community. It has also shown that animosity towards the presence of Christians in Somalia is not only found in areas controlled by al-Shabaab: It is deeply entrenched in the Islamic society. Thus, it is critical that the government of Somaliland should work on devising mechanisms that would help create a tolerant society which would respect diversity in religion. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right that is well established under international law."