A record number of journalists have been killed in Somalia this year. The war-ravaged country is the most dangerous country in Africa for members of the media, and last week, six more journalists lost their lives, taking this year’s death toll to 15. DCMF has strongly condemned the attacks, and has spoken to journalists and experts about the situation for members of the Somalia media.
This year has been the deadliest year yet for journalists in Somalia. Throughout 2012, journalists have been killed at a rate of more than one a month, and the recent killings of six journalists within the space of a week has prompted rights organisations and press freedom watchdogs to urge the Somali authorities to set an example by bringing those responsible for the deaths to justice.
On the evening of Thursday, September 20, two suicide bombers detonated devices in a well-known meeting place for journalists called ‘The Village’ in Mogadishu, killing two journalists and injuring many others. The following morning, Hassan Yusuf Absuge was shot three times in the head as he left his radio station having been reporting on the bombings which had already shaken the journalistic community.
One week later, Ahmed Abdulahi Fanah was shot in the head on his way to work the day before Abdirahman Mohamed Ali’s decapitated body was dumped in the street.
With these six deaths, the number of journalists killed in Somalia in 2012 has jumped to 15.
Throughout years of conflict, bloodshed and suffering, Somalia’s journalists have never suffered as heavily as they are doing in the current climate. Every day, they face paying the ultimate sacrifice to inform people about what is happening within their country, and they carry out their work in the knowledge that every story they write could be the last.
Supporters of the Al Shabaab militia have been identified as the orchestrators of the recent bombings and the ongoing situation indicates that members of the media have become a more popular target for rebels and militia who are desperate to present their propaganda throughout the nation at every opportunity.
Should this be the case, then journalists in Somalia will face more intimidation, danger and death in the future, unless steps are taken to bring those who target journalists, to justice.
DCMF and NUSOJ
DCMF has been working with the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) in recent years to offer assistance to a number of media workers facing danger in Somalia. The centre has provided protective equipment as well as financial assistance to many Somali journalists, and in the past year, the centre has provided more assistance to journalists from Somalia than any other country.
Following the recent violent attacks, DCMF spoke to secretary-general of NUSOJ, Mohamed Ibrahim, to find out more about the current climate for journalists in Somalia, and how the continued targeting of journalists is affecting media freedom there.
“Being a journalist in Somalia is very dangerous job. In South and Central Somalia, journalists face death threats, intimidations, arbitrary arrests from the local government and continued brutal murder,” he said.
“Noone has been either arrested or charged,” he explained, adding “the impunity is the motivating factor of these murders.”
The fact that the media has become a player in the ongoing conflict between the government and rebel groups has also led to the present dangers, he argued.
“The safety of Somali media professionals has declined drastically in recent years because the media has been perceived as part and parcel of the conflict, a platform to pass warmongering messages and a functional instrument for defeating enemies.”
“Journalists who decline to bend to the whims of the warmongers, received warnings telling them they will pay the price of defiance before they were murdered. Media practitioners who have dared to expose the ills in the society are often killed for stories they tell.”
“The suicide bombings that killed scores of people and three journalists and wounded several others who are still receiving treatment in Mogadishu hospitals supported by DCMF through the NUSOJ, followed by the assassination of the renowned Somali journalist, the late Hassan Yusuf Absuge, has shocked the Somali media fraternity, throwing blankets of fears on them, thinking about who will be next.”
“The transitional government has not done enough to improve the situation, but we are expecting the new government to give priority to the security and safety of the journalists. NUSOJ is still lobbying to gain justice for murdered colleagues and the union’s plan is to meet all the law enforcement agencies and the current president as well to request to open independent investigations into the killings of the journalists,” he explained.
“As far as NUSOJ is concerned, only effective law enforcement agencies and justice system both working together can lead to an improvement in the situation.”
Terrifying conditions
DCMF spoke to journalist Hashim Barre in the wake of the recent bombings. “The death of these four journalists is part of a brutal exercise carries out daily in Somalia in an effort to oppress media activities,” he said.
“Being a journalist in Somalia is very risky and we work under terrifying conditions. Our efforts to report the truth of what is happening in our country are being undermined by groups targeting media personnel, and nothing has been done to ensure that those who target journalists are arrested and action is taken against them,” he added.
Journalists in exile
Another consequence of the violence directed towards journalists in Somalia is that many feel the need to flee their home country for their safety.
According to reports by refugee campaign groups, Hagadera Refugee Camp in Kenya is currently home to at least two former journalists, who were forced from their homes and now struggle to find food and water on a daily basis.
Maano Hussein Ibrahim and Mohamud Abdirahman Beene Beene are both languishing in the camp after leaving Somalia, and they are forced to take domestic jobs to earn as little as $1 a day.
Earlier this year, DCMF spoke to Ahmedsadik Yusuf and Mohamed Odawa, who had both fled Somalia for fear of their lives. Having witnessed their colleagues being harassed, attacked and even murdered, they represent just a few of the many journalists whose work has led to them regarding their position at home as untenable.
Mohamed Ibrahim explained that after fleeing to countries such as Kenya and Uganda, many journalists have decided to return to their home country and face the dangers of work in Somalia. Unfortunately for many, such as Abdisatar Dahir Sabriye who was killed in the recent bombings, their worst fears are realised upon returning home.
Threat to Somalia
The campaign of terror aimed at members of the media represents a significant threat for Somalia as a whole. As the country attempts to climb out of the depths of civil war and rebuild a stable and peaceful future, extremists continue to target one of the most important bastions of any stable and flourishing democracy.
The UK’s ambassador to Somalia, Matt Baugh summed up the general reaction to the recent bombings in a statement, saying: “Yet again cowardly extremists have assassinated a Somali journalist for doing his job. Four journalists have been killed and several others injured over the last two days, with many others taken from their families over the past months, simply for expressing their right to freedom of speech and information.”
"The aim of the perpetrators of these crimes is to halt the momentum for change now felt by Somali people. I stand firmly with the overwhelming majority of Somali people that reject this cycle of attacks on journalists, with the voices calling for urgent action against these killers, and with all those committed to protecting human rights and seeking justice," he added.
International appeal for action
The 21st session of the UN Human Rights Council witnessed the passing of a resolution, urging the government to protect journalists:
"[The UN] strongly condemns all attacks on journalists, including the deadly terror attack on 20 September and the assassination on 21 September of a prominent journalist in Mogadishu; calls upon the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia to protect the safety of the journalists; and calls on all states to provide the necessary technical assistance to the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia, the sub-national authorities, the national union of Somali journalists and individual journalists in this regard; and urges the State actors and non-State actors to refrain from intentional violence against and harassment of journalists and to respect freedom of expression."
Human Rights Watch has also issued a statement calling on the newly appointed President to investigate the killings and reverse the culture of impunity which continues to endanger the lives of journalists in Somalia.
Deputy director of the Africa division for Human Rights Watch, Leslie Lefkow said: “Somalia’s journalists have long topped the lists of targets by all sides during the country’s brutal civil war. The new Somali president can act to end this horrific pattern by ordering prompt and serious investigations into these killings.”
“Countries that are truly committed to new beginnings in Somalia should make tackling the horrific killings of journalists a priority,” she argued, adding “Somalia’s international partners should press the new government to carry out credible investigations into these killings and offer the government help in doing so.”
HRW is not the only group to call for action, and numerous other international organisations have urged the Somali government to do more to protect journalists and defend them as they carry out their work.
DCMF condemns culture of impunity
Doha Centre for Media Freedom has also spoken out against the targeting of journalists, and urged the Somali authorities to investigate the attacks with the aim of reversing the current culture of impunity. In a statement, the centre said:
“DCMF strongly condemns the recent attacks against journalists in Somalia, and the tragic loss of life which has taken place among media workers in the country.
The centre repeats its calls for the government to do everything within its powers to bring those responsible to justice and ensure that they are not left free to attack others in the future.
The death toll of journalists in Somalia this year has been increasing on an almost monthly basis, and the culture of impunity which abounds in the country poses a significant and dangerous threat to journalism and media freedom.
President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud has the opportunity to make a stand for human rights and media freedom by ensuring that justice is done in these, and other unsolved cases in Somalia by launching comprehensive investigations. By setting a precedent and creating a deterrent for those who target the media, he will improve the conditions for journalists throughout the country.”
DCMF has joined a number of international organisations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Rory Peck Trust and Free Press Unlimited, to send assistance to some of the journalists to be injured in the recent bombing.
The centre is currently in the process of providing assistance to Abdullahi Mohammed Ali, 26, a radio reporter who suffered a broken leg in the attack, as well as 28-year-old Abdikarin Hussein Gutale, a TV reporter who suffered shrapnel wounds to the back and head and Mohamed Hussein Mohemd, 23, a radio and TV journalist who requires urgent treatment for shrapnel wounds to his arms and legs and burns to his face.
Sources: DCMF, NUSOJ, HRW
