Brawl in Somaliland’s parliament falsely linked to fallout over weapons sent to Somalia by Egypt

Screenshot of the false post, taken on September 4, 2024

The post contains a 56-second video showing heated scenes between delegates attending a hearing inside an auditorium. As the tension escalates, a number of individuals come to blows.

The post claims the events took place inside Somalia’s parliament building.

Military tensions

Ethiopia and Somalia have been at odds since Ethiopia struck a deal early this year with Somaliland – a breakaway region of Somalia – allowing Addis Ababa to use a port in Berbera (archived here).

This led to a diplomatic row and military tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia, who fought two wars in 1964 and 1977. Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud recently accused Ethiopia of violating its sovereignty (archived here).

Talks facilitated by Turkey to end the impasse concluded without success. Another round of mediation has been scheduled for September 17, 2024.

Matters escalated further in late August when Egypt sent military equipment to Somalia.

This angered Ethiopia, which is involved in a long-standing dispute with Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River (archived here).

Egypt fears the massive dam could greatly reduce the flow of the Nile, while Ethiopia sees the dam as important to its development. Talks between the two countries have also ended without compromise.

It is in this context that the post claims to show footage of Somali MPs loyal to Ethiopia assaulting those in support of Egypt’s military aid.

However, the claim is false.

Brawl in Somaliland

AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video.

The results led to a slightly longer video published on YouTube on September 3, 2024 (archived here).

The video begins with a man who is seen jabbing his finger toward someone in the front of the hall while shouting. “It cannot be accepted, and it should not be brought here,” he says. “In the name of God, this cannot be accepted”.

He repeats his words until others behind him try to make him sit, at which point the hearing descends into a brawl.

An AFP journalist based in Mogadishu verified the content and context of the video and confirmed the footage was taken inside the Somaliland parliament building in Hargeisa — and not in Somalia.

AFP Fact Check matched the venue shown in the clip with official footage released by the Somaliland parliament. The same furniture, flooring and panelling on the walls is visible.

The purpose of the hearing, according to reports (here and here), was to discuss an impeachment motion brought against opposition MP Mohamed Abiib (archived here and here).

AFP’s correspondent in Somalia also confirmed that the events seen in the video were unrelated to the tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia over Egypt’s military package.