Bulletproof vests provided to Somali journalists

11 May 2009

In an effort to help protect Somali journalists, one hundred bulletproof vests and helmets have been provided to them. Somali journalists work in one of the world's most volatile environments - media houses are frequently closed and violence has become a daily fixture.

Since the start of the year, two journalists have been killed, three have been seriously injured and several others arrested and banned from the job.

The safety-gear sets were provided in mid-April through the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and the Doha Centre for Media Freedom. More equipment will be distributed in Puntland and south-central regions of the country.

The two media groups also opened the Somali Independent News Agency on 29 April, 2009 in nearby Djibouti, to offer exiled Somali journalists a safety-zone for reporting on their conflict-ravaged country. In liaison with colleagues on the ground, news will be offered in English and Somali on a new website, www.sominaonline.com.

Somalia has been on the threshold of anarchy since 1991 when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted and rival clans turned against each other. War continues between the country's weak transitional government and insurgents and violence against journalists has not subdued.

On 20 April, veteran journalist, Nur Muse Hussein “Inji” of Quranic radio IQK was shot two times in his leg in Beledweyn, central Somalia, when he was trying to cover fighting between militias of the Hiran Regional Administration and Hisbul Islam, a movement that operates in the southern central regions of Somalia.

According to the Somali Journalist Rights Agency (SOJRA), Inji is in critical condition and the organisation is looking for financial assistance to help pay for his medical care.

"This is a targeted shooting meant for journalists. Warring sides must stop targeting journalists. Our colleague Nur Muse is the latest victim of these organised crimes against journalists in Somalia," said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ secretary general in a press statement.

The Islamist militia group Al-Shabaab, which has control of the southwestern region of the country, has been one of the main groups behind the violence against journalists. In the most recent attack, members of the sect stormed the offices of radio Jubba for allegedly not abiding to unspecified orders of the administration.

The station was forced to close and the station's director, Muktar Mohamed Atosh, editor-in-chief Mohamed Adawe Adan, and reporter Mohamed Nur Mohamed were arrested.

Another prominent journalist in Mogadishu, Mohamed Ali Nuxurkey, also recently reported that threats are being made against him. Nuxurkey works for the new independent radio station DANAN and is editor of the English version of the Committee of the United Exiled Somali Journalists.

Nuxurkey reported to SOJRA that he has been receiving phone calls where he is given the ultimatum: “abandon your job, or be murdered.”

In the northern autonomous region of Somaliland, journalists are persistently dissuaded from covering critical stories with intimidation and threats. Those who do not yield, often face severe consequences.

On 26 April, a court sentenced journalist Abdullahi Hassan Darwish of Ogaal newspaper to one year in prison, a fine of 400,000 Somaliland shillings (approximately $60), and a six-months ban on working as a journalist. He was found guilty of spreading “unsubstantiated information” about corruption in the management of the country's water agency.

While bulletproof vests are not the panacea for all the dangers journalists face in Somalia, it is a start of a much-needed international and local effort. “In Somalia there is a rule of gun,” said Osman.

Article published courtesy of RAP21