By M.A. Egge
The Somaliland National Armed Forces have expressed their regret and dismay that an article that has political inclinations contrary to the disciplined and guidelines of the security institution was published unorthodoxly in their official Facebook site in an unduly manner.
The repost elicited an uproar from a cross section of the members of the public following several reposts that went viral in the social media.
The Somaliland National Armed Forces has, hitherto, never indulged in any political statements and have moved swiftly to assuage and address the hiccup created by the article which portrayed the institution of indulging in politics.
The spokesman of the Somaliland National Army, Major General Abdi Abdillahi Hasan, said that a statement published on the army’s social media was uncalled for and inappropriate and underpinned the fact that the culprit officer behind the re-post of the article from an on-line source has already been reprimanded and will be answerable.
The statement issued by the armed forces headquarters reads as follows:-
Press Statement
To Whom It May Concern,
We are issuing this statement to address a recent issue concerning a Facebook postdated Wednesday, May 2nd. It has come to our attention that the post may have caused confusion and discomfort among a cross-section of the members of the public and in particular the opposition party. We want to clarify that the content in question was not a statement from the head of our Army but rather a repost from a local online newspaper.
We regret any misunderstanding this may have caused, and we apologize for any inconvenience or upset it may have triggered. The views expressed in the Facebook post do not reflect the official stance of our organization. Furthermore, we want to make it clear that we do not hold the opinion that the opposition party has any inclination towards any country.
Although we encourage the international community to support the Somaliland National Army the same way they support the Somalia military, we do not endorse or support any statements that could be misinterpreted or cause undue controversy.
It is important to us that our communications are clear and accurate, and we are committed to ensuring this in the future. We appreciate the ongoing support and understanding from our community and stakeholders. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our communications team.
Thank you for your attention and understanding”. END.