Somaliland court to decide lost boy’s parentage case

Lasanod  –– A court in Somaliland has started hearing three paternity claims for a young boy who has gone missing 10 years ago before local officials found him in Bossaso four months ago.

Having lived in Bossaso, the commercial hub of Puntland  for 10 years, the 13-year-old boy who goes by the name Farhan and nicknamed ‘Hidig’ can barely remember his place of birth of Lasanod from where he vanished at the age of three, rather than his genuine biological father.

According to the local magistrate court’s judges, two men have so far claimed the boy was ‘theirs’ during the first case hearing Sunday with judges demanded proof of whether one of the parties was the biological
parent of the boy.

However, law experts questioned legality of a judge’s conclusion on such cases without employing the well-advanced DNA paternity testing method to establish the genetic proof of the boy’s biological father.

Nevertheless, the town’s panel of judges expressed optimism over the case to determine the custody of the boy sooner than later.

Despite having some rare cases of paternity denials, cases related to paternity disputes are uncommon in the conservative horn of Africa nation which has an overwhelmingly Muslim population.

Ku akhriso maqaalkaan af Soomaali

Hiiraan