London (PP News Desk) — Nimco Ali, a British activist of Somali origin, has publicly apologised to Dr Markus Höehne after she made false claims about him on social media.
In a series of posts on 28 March 2023, Ali wrongly accused Dr Höehne of being a paedophile and of abusing girls in “Somaliland”. She now accepts that these allegations are completely false. Dr Höehne did nothing wrong and was never forced to leave “Somaliland” for any such reason.
Dr Höehne is a German social anthropologist who studies northern Somalia. He recently co-wrote a 2026 paper called “The Paradox of Progress: Foreign Investments, Kinship, State-building, and Conflict in Somaliland”, which was published in the academic journal African Affairs.
After Ali’s posts, Dr Höehne instructed lawyers to take action against her. In her apology, Ali said she was very sorry for the serious harm and distress that her words had caused him. She has also agreed to pay him a large sum in compensation.
“In a series of Tweets on 28 March 2023 I published gravely defamatory allegations about Dr Markus Höehne (@HoehneVirgil) who is a social anthropologist specialising in Somali affairs. I alleged that Dr Höhne was a paedophile who was kicked out of Somaliland for abusing girls. At the time of the tweets, I had been misinformed by third parties about these allegations, which I now accept are entirely false” Nimco tweeted.
Nimco Ali is well known for supporting the break-up of Somalia. Between 2020 and 2022, she also worked as an Independent Government Adviser for the British Government.
The case is a clear reminder that people can face legal action when they share harmful and untrue claims online, even from a personal account.
© Puntland Post, 2026