Suicide Bomb Kills Lawyers and Journalist in Somalia

ARTICLE 19 condemns the killing of a journalist and two human rights lawyers in a suicide attack on a court complex in Mogadishu on 14 April 2013. Mohamed Hassan Habeeb, a journalist who acted as a media adviser to the Bandir regional court, was killed along with the head of the Somali Lawyers Association, Mohamed Mohamud Afrah and the campaigning human rights lawer, Abdikarin Hassan Gorod.

ARTICLE 19 urges the government to launch a prompt and effective investigation into these attacks, for which the militant group Al Shabaab is reported to have claimed responsibility.

"This is one of the deadliest attacks in Mogadishu since 2011. We send our condolences to the families of those who were killed, including the journalists and the lawyers. We strongly urge the government to ensure justice is done for the victims. An urgent investigation is needed, and those responsible should be brought to justice", said Henry Maina ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa Director.

On Sunday 14 April, two car bombs exploded outside the Mogadishu law courts and gunmen stormed the building. A gun battle followed between the group and the security forces, which lasted for more than two hours. Later, another car bomb exploded at a building housing Somali intelligence whilst Turkish and African Union (AU) vehicles were passing.

No official death toll has been published, but ARTICLE 19's Somali partners estimate over 20 people could have died in the twin attacks.

Journalists and human rights defenders in Somalia are frequently the target of violence.

In 2012, 18 journalists lost their lives in the line of duty.

Source: www.ifex.org

Obama's Drone Strike Legacy

The Washington Post asks if drone strikes will become Obama's Guantanamo?

The Obama administration’s increasing use of unmanned drone strikes to kill terror suspects is widely opposed around the world, according to a Pew Research Center survey on the U.S. image abroad.

In 17 out of 21 countries surveyed, more than half of the people disapproved of U.S. drone attacks targeting extremist leaders and groups in nations such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, Pew said Wednesday.

But in the United States, a majority, or 62 per cent, approved the drone campaign.

“There remains a widespread perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally and does not consider the interests of other countries,” the study authors said, especially in predominantly Muslim nations, where American anti-terrorism efforts are “still widely unpopular.”

The White House declined to comment on the report. The Obama administration considers drone strikes one of its most effective tools to combat al-Qaeda — preferable to conventional war because the strikes produce fewer American casualties and meant to be more palatable abroad because the use of drones keeps U.S. troops on the ground to a minimum.

“In order to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States and to save American lives, the United States government conducts targeted strikes against specific al-Qaida terrorists, sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to publicly as drones,” White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan said in April in a detailed and wide-ranging defence of the policy. He said targets are chosen by weighing whether there is a way to capture the person against how much of a threat the person presents to Americans.

The global drone campaign under President Barack Obama has killed a number of high-value leaders, arguably more than any other method including more than a decade of special operations raids inside Afghanistan. A strike in Pakistan this month killed al-Qaeda’s most recent second in command, Abu Yahya al-Libi.

Read it all here.


Jim Kouri reports:

On Sunday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accused Obama of ordering unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, strikes in his country to boost his political image, according to an Israeli security source who monitors Islamic nations.

More than a few political commentators and counterterrorism analysts on Sunday morning's television news shows spoke of President Barack Obama's abysmal week dealing with a lethargic economy, accusations of intelligence leaks and misstatements that provided ammunition for his opponents. But the criticisms didn't end there. Prime Minister Gilani's stated that Barack Obama is "using drone strikes in Pakistani tribal regions for political motives."

The Prime Minister's verbal assault came a day after President Obama allegedly ordered a "sharp increase" in drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas aimed at killing members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

"The United States is into the election year and Obama's decision has been aimed at gaining political mileage," Pakistani Prime Minister said during a press conference.

The U.S. officials were quoted as responding that Obama's decision to increase drone attacks reflected the "mounting U.S. frustration with Pakistan over a growing list of disputes."

But Gilani said that dialogue is going on with the United States regarding a supply line issue in light of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which continues to demand an apology from the United States over the killing of 24 soldiers in November during a drone strike.

"The Pakistanis want what Obama gives to others at the drop of a hat -- an apology. But the problem is Obama usually apologizes for the actions of other people and the past [Bush] administration. He apologizes on behalf of the American people or for American policies from previous administrations. Have you ever heard him apologize for something he did or he ordered done?" asks political strategist Mike Baker.

"Who is the more moral person? A man like Bush who believes in using military force? Or a man like Obama, who is against the use of military force -- unless he lied all those years -- but uses it to score political points so he can continue his true agenda? Which is the fundamental transformation of America," Baker noted.

On Thursday, the U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated in Kabul that the United States was running out of patience with Pakistan. He alleged that the country was being used as a safe haven by terrorists from neighboring Afghanistan.



Related reading:  US Pays Bounties on Leading Somali Terrorists

Stop Journalist Bloodbath in Somalia

On March 2, 2012 in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Somali Republic to the United Nations in Geneva, speakers lifted the veil on the situation of freedom of expression in Somalia, which has progressively worsened after five journalists were murdered in Mogadishu since August 2011.

"In today's Somalia, journalists are targets of a widespread, often politically driven campaign of murder and maltreatment. Many have fled their homes, or even the country, to protect themselves and their families. There is now an urgent need to stop this bloodbath," said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General, who painted a grim picture of the state of freedom of expression and journalists' rights.

"The latest killings confirm the dismaying reality facing journalists in Somalia today, where intolerance and callous targeting sees prominent journalists gunned down at their homes," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "Once again we will be looking to international institutions to take up their responsibility and protect journalists from this brutal injustice."

Speaker after speaker berated the inability of the Somali government's officials to defend journalists. Recent murders have put in doubt the recent claims of building peace and restoring stability made after the Somali conference in London. Journalists and trade union representatives laid bare the role by some government officials who were abusing their office and instead leading a campaign to suppress journalists and their right to free expression and association.

"The record of unsolved murders of journalists over the past few years and sustained attacks on the National Union of Somali Journalists by Somali authorities show their lack of urgency over the media safety crisis and the authorities' poor record on defending freedom of expression and journalists' rights," added Boumelha.

"The culture of impunity must be reined in urgently and accountability ensured. There is a need to inquire on the deaths of the various journalists killed in Somalia. Regrettably, the Transitional Government has proven to be incapable of investigating and prosecuting these killings even as doubts about its culpability have continued to grow amongst local journalists and media circles," said Esther Busser, Assistant Director of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) advocacy office at the UN in Geneva.

"Somalia's government has very seriously violated trade union rights, as enshrined in the ILO's Conventions 87 (on Freedom of Association) and 98 (on Collective Bargaining). The ITUC is extremely disturbed about the consistent politicised actions against NUSOJ members and its leadership to thwart them from carrying out their legitimate activities," added Busser.

"The murder of journalists in Somalia is not just a random act of violence in a conflict zone, it is a political act: by killing the messenger, you kill the message," said Hélène Sackstein, UN Advocacy Representative of RSF.

Participants concluded the meeting by rebutting the proclamation made by the Somali authorities to be investigating the killings and called on the UN Human Rights Council to set up an independent commission of inquiry into the murder of journalists in Somalia.

A high-level list of participants composed of UN and State officials, and leading human rights and free expression advocacy organizations attended the event.


For more information:

National Union of Somali Journalists
1st Floor, Human Rights House
Taleex Street, KM4 Area, Hodan District
Mogadishu
Somalia
nusoj (@) nusoj.org
Phone: +252 1 859 944
Fax: +252 1 859 944
http://www.nusoj.org/

Jessica Buchanan Rescued by Navy Seals

The same Navy SEAL team responsible for killing Osama Bin Laden roughly seven months ago pulled off another successful mission Tuesday, rescuing two aid workers taken hostage in Somalia late last year. The mission reportedly occurred shortly before President Obama took to the podium to deliver his State of the Union address.

According to the BBC, neither the U.S. troops nor the hostages were injured in the rescue, but nine captors were killed. The captors were not identified as al-Shabab militants (al-Shabab is an Islamist group controlling much of southern Somalia), but rather as "criminals" by U.S. officials.

The two aid workers are Jessica Buchanan, an American, and Poul Hagen Thisted, from Denmark. They were taken captive at gunpoint by Somali pirates in October.


Read the full report here.

Kenyan Bombs Target Somali Town

Voice of America News
October 30, 2011

Kenyan fighter jets have reportedly bombed the southern Somali town of Jilib, killing at least 10 people. At least 45 people were also wounded in the attack.

Local officials say Sunday's strike targeted an area where al-Shabab militants were distributing food to internally displaced people.

Reports say many of those killed were civilians, including several children.

Kenya sent an undisclosed number of troops across the border earlier this month to fight Al-Shabab, which is blamed for a series of kidnappings of foreigners on Kenyan soil.

On Saturday, Kenya's military chief General Julius Karangi told reporters there is no timeline on the operation against al-Shabab rebels. He said his troops will remain in southern Somalia until Kenyans feel safe.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Somalia's al-Shabby militants say an American citizen was one of two suicide bombers behind a recent attack on an African Union military base in the capital.

A pro-Shabab radio station and website identified the Somali-American bomber as a young man named Abdisalan. It said he emigrated to the United States at the age of two.

U.S. authorities have not verified the claim, although several American citizens of Somali origin are believed to have traveled to Somalia to join the insurgency.

On Saturday, two suicide bombers detonated explosives outside the AU peacekeeping base in Mogadishu. It is unclear how many soldiers were killed in the attack, but al-Shabab says dozens died.
Al-Shabab is fighting to topple the U.N.-backed Somali government and set up an Islamic state in Somalia. The militant group has lost ground to Somali government and African Union troops in recent months but still controls considerable territory in southern and central Somalia.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

Using Mercenaries to Stop Piracy

Ansel J. Halliburton (UC Davis School of Law) has posted Pirates Versus Mercenaries: Purely Private Transnational Violence at the Margins of International Law on Social Science Research Network. Here is the abstract:

Because of the recent surge in piracy emanating from the failed state of Somalia, the world’s navies have focused unprecedented resources and attention on the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Despite a few successes, this military might has largely failed to reverse the tide of piracy. Shipping companies have begun to hire armed private guards to protect their vessels and crew where the public navies cannot. But should private force take a larger role? Should shipping companies hire mercenaries to go on the offensive against pirates? Does, or should, international law allow them to do so? This paper surveys public international law, emerging transnational criminal law, human rights and humanitarian law, and the histories of piracy and transnational private violence in search of answers.
 
 
Hiring mercenaries to go after pirates... humm. Since corporations already do this, we are faced with a question of business ethics. As far as I know there is no international law forbidding it.

Somaliland's Successful Counter-Terrorism Raids

4 October - "Somaliland security forces arrested 17 terror suspects and captured explosives, weapons and remote controls," according to the government of the breakaway state. The Islamist group Al-Shabaab was indicated as the perpetrators.

Somaliland - a peaceful, stable democracy that broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognised by any state - has again been at the focus of terrorists from neighbouring Somalia, according to the government.

Interior Minister Mohamed Gabose yesterday held a press conference in Hargeisa, the capital, where he displayed the weapons and other items confiscated during the raids against the individuals accused of terrorism planning.

Minister Gabose revealed that Somaliland police and army forces had raided several buildings in the country's three major cities: Hargeisa, Burao and Berbera.

The explosives and remote controls found in some of the ransacked houses led to the suspicion of terror planning and the detention of 17 suspects, he explained. Minister Gabose added that police believed there were still members of "the group" at large and that police were on a massive search to arrest these suspected terrorists.

According to a Somaliland government statement, the suspects allegedly "planned" a terror attack and acted as a "group". It was not informed whether the alleged terror attack was to be in Somaliland or whether the suspects were Somalilander citizens.

Further, it remained unclear whether the police raid had been provoked by earlier suspicions against some the 17 detained, or whether it had been a lucky strike by the Somaliland police. The Ministry statement however indicated there had been a general "security sweep carried out in the cities of Somaliland."

Minister Gabose during the Hargeisa press conference went far in indicating that the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab was behind the alleged terror plot in Somaliland. Al-Shabaab controls large parts of Somalia and has organised several terror attacks in Somalia and outside, including in Kampala, Uganda, in July.

Somaliland has been at the focus of Somali terrorists earlier, even kidnapping and killing foreign aid workers. Security in Somaliland however is generally high, both for Somalilanders and foreigners.

Last month, the US State Department announced it would deepen ties with Somaliland - although without recognising the state - among other reasons to join forces in the fight against Al-Shabaab.

From here.

Somali Clerics Campaign Against Jihad

NAIROBI, July 9: Somali clerics who are worried that their country could become a launching pad for global jihad are stepping up efforts around the world to stop young men from joining an Al Qaeda-linked group.

The clerics are spreading their message in Somalia and to diaspora communities of Somalis in Kenya, Europe and the United States.

“As Islamic scholars, we should warn people, especially the youth, against Al Shabab’s destructive ideology,” said Sheik Abdi Mahad, a cleric who preaches in Somali mosques in Nairobi. “What we are telling our people is Al Shabab is wrong and its members are extremists who don’t represent the peaceful nature of the Islamic religion.”

Clerics are airing anti-Shabab lectures on the Somali government’s radio station in Mogadishu. They’re also holding meetings for those who oppose the militant group, although such gatherings can only be held in areas outside Al Shabab’s control. The militants’ reach extends across much of Mogadishu, and Somalia’s central and southern regions.

Al Shabab seeks to topple Somalia’s weak, UN-backed administration and install a system based on their version of Islam.

US officials say veteran insurgents of the Afghan and Pakistan conflict have joined Al Shabab, infusing the group with bomb-making expertise and global links. The group metes out harsh punishments, not unlike the Taliban when they controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s.

Western intelligence officials say the group is also recruiting foreign fighters from the Somali diaspora in the United States and Europe.

In Minneapolis, home to the largest Somali community in the US, clerics at the Quba Mosque held weeklong lectures shaming Al Shabab in May, said Sheik Osman Ahmed Sheik, the mosque’s assistant director.

“Now parents are more enlightened about Al Shabab’s danger to their children,” he said.

Mohamed Idris, a Saudi-based Somali cleric, was among several scholars who took part in a series of recent lectures in Sweden. “We have urged the youth to focus on education and their life in their adopted countries and not get involved in the violence in Somalia.”

In April, Mr Idris was part of a dozen clerics who met in the Somali city of Garowe. The group issued a statement in which they said militant activity in Somalia is not jihad.“The best way to deal with the extremists is dialogue,” said Abdel Moati Bayoumi, a scholar at Al Azhar University in Cairo.—AP

Veteran Journalist Murdered in Mogadishu

(NUSOJ/IFEX) - 5 May 2010 - The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) today condemned the mindless and merciless targeted assassination of veteran journalist Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey in Mogadishu on 4 May 2010.

Hooded men with pistols followed Abkey, 52, who worked for the government-owned Radio Mogadishu/Voice of Somali Republic, and killed him near his home in Wardhigley district.

"We condemn the assassination of Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey, who is another victim of mindless and merciless brutality against journalists," said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. "Somali journalists are being murdered for just reporting their stories independently or for their journalistic work with a particular media house."

Journalists in Mogadishu believe that Abkey was murdered because of his leading role and journalistic work with Radio Mogadishu, which is owned and managed by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The government has officially accused Al-Shabaab militants of committing the crime. "The loss of this experienced journalist is heartbreaking for his family and colleagues, but it is also a blow to the entire Somali people," Osman declared.

NUSOJ says the latest assassination shows how journalists continue to face daily risks in Somalia, where violence and terrorism have become an increasingly routine part of daily life. "We again call on all sides in the conflict to stop manipulating the media to suit their own political interests, which have become a major cause of media victims," Osman added.

Abkey joined the profession in 1988 as a reporter with former Somali National News Agency (SONNA), specializing in foreign news coverage. Over the past ten years he had worked for several media houses in Mogadishu, including HornAfrik Radio, Somali Television Network (STN), East Africa Radio and recently, Radio Mogadishu.

Abkey did not move from his home to Radio Mogadishu studios when he started working for the station, as other journalists fearing for their safety did. Abkey was a skilled journalist who worked as a producer, reporter, presenter and even technician.


For more information:

National Union of Somali Journalists
1st Floor, Human Rights House
Taleex Street, KM4 Area, Hodan District
Mogadishu
Somalia
nusoj (@) nusoj.org
Phone: +252 1 859 944
Fax: +252 1 859 944
National Union of Somali Journalists
http://www.nusoj.org/

Voice of Democracy Destroyed in Mogadishu

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, December 21, 2009 - Mortar shells destroyed the Radio Voice of Democracy building this morning in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing Amal Abukar, 22, the wife of the director of the station, Abdirahman Yasin. Abukar died instantly after three mortar shells landed on the station's building in northern Mogadishu at 10:30 a.m., local journalists told CPJ. Yasin and a producer, Adam Hussein, were injured in the attack.

Yasin was hit by shrapnel in his right leg and Hussein sustained a kidney injury; both journalists received treatment at a local hospital and are recovering, local journalists said. No one claimed responsibility for the shelling. Local journalists told CPJ they believe the station was caught in crossfire between insurgents, government soldiers, and African Union peacekeepers after insurgents fired mortars near the parliament building, according to local news reports.

On Sunday, mortar shells hit the newly constructed satellite dish and antenna for Shabelle Television, a new station, the management of Shabelle Media Network reported. It is unclear whether the shelling was a targeted attack, local journalists said. The station has remained off the air since.


"We send our deepest condolences to the director of Radio Voice of Democracy, Abdirahman Yasin, and to all the staff of both media outlets," CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes said today. "CPJ calls on all sides of the conflict to be aware of the presence of journalists and to ensure their safety."

In the northeast semi-autonomous region of Puntland, the Puntland Intelligence Service arrested Voice of America correspondent Mohamed Yasin and took him to the capital city, Garowe, according to local journalists.


Roughly 30 security agents visited Yasin's home in Galkayo Sunday evening, local journalists said. He is now being held at the Puntland Intelligence Service offices, they told CPJ. The reason for the arrest is still unknown although local journalists said they suspect it may be due to Yasin's report on displaced Somali citizens who complained of mistreatment in Puntland. A police officer fired at Yasin's car on November 17 at a checkpoint in front of the regional governor's office, according to the Media Association of Puntland.

http://www.ifex.org/somalia/2009/12/21/yasin_arrested/


For more information:
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
info@cpj.org
Phone: +1 212 465 1004
Fax: +1 212 465 9568
http://www.cpj.org/

Bombing Kills More Somali Journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, December 3, 2009 - Three journalists were among the victims of a suicide bombing at a Benadir University graduation ceremony in Mogadishu today. At least 22 people were killed at Hotel Shamo, including three government ministers, by suspected Islamic insurgents, according toThe Associated Press.

Hassan Zubeyr, a cameraman for the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television network and Radio Shabelle reporter Mohamed Amin were killed instantly in the explosion, local journalists told CPJ. Yasir Mairo, who recently tookup freelance photography part-time, died of injuries in the hospital, according to local journalists. CPJ was unable to determine immediately if Mairo was on assignment for a specific outlet.

Including Mairo, seven journalists were injured in the explosion, CPJ's 2009 Press Freedom Award winner Mustafa Haji Abdinur said. Two of the journalists, Reuters photographer Omar Faruk and Abdulkadir Omar Abdulle, a reporter for Universal TV, a local TV station in Mogadishu, are in critical condition and receiving treatment at Medina Hospital in the capital, Abdinur said.

The three deaths bring the total number of journalists killed in Somalia to nine this year.

"We send our deepest condolences to the families of Hassan Zubeyr, Mohamed Amin, and Yasir Mairo," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. "This heinous act underscores the great dangers journalists face in Somalia. The country's position as the deadliest country in Africa for journalists has been cemented."

Mohamed Olad, BBC correspondent and spokesman for the press freedom group Somali Journalists of Foreign Media Outlets, spoke to both journalists moments before the blast. "I am really still in shock," Olad told CPJ. "I was just speaking to these two colleagues but had left them to interview some of the graduating students." Hassan and Amin had gone closer to the front of the hotel's assembly hall to listen to speeches by the government ministers when the bomb exploded, Olad said.

Zubeyr, 31, was a head technician at Radio Shabelle before he left to work as a cameraman at Al-Arabiya in 2006, exiled Radio Shabelle journalist Babuul Nur told CPJ. He is survived by his pregnant wife and four children.

According to Radio Shabelle producer Hassan Osman, his colleague Amin, 24, had lost both of his parents and supported his younger siblings as the sole breadwinner in the family. Amin is the fourth Radio Shabelle journalist killed this year; Radio Shabelle's director, Mukhtar Hirabe, was gunned down by insurgents in Mogadishu in June. Only five journalists are still working at the Shabelle Radio and Television station in the volatile capital, Osman said.

Mairo, in his early 20s, was an active soccer player and had started working part-time as a freelance photographer recently, local journalists told CPJ. Mairo was the only photographer to cover a suicide car bomb attack against African Union peacekeepers in September that killed 21 people, Olad said.

Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle told the BBC that the suicide bomber was disguised as a woman and used a concealed belt bomb in the packed hall. Gelle confirmed that three ministers including Health Minister Qamar Aden, Education Minister Ahmed Abdullahi, and Higher Education Minister Ibrahim Hassan were killed in the attack. The minister of sports and tourism, Suleiman Olad Roble, a former journalist, was also injured in the explosion, according to local journalists.

The graduating students were receiving their diplomas at the Hotel Shamo, which is based in one of the few areas ostensibly controlled by the government in Mogadishu. Benadir University was set up in 2002 to train doctors to replace those who had fled overseas or been killed in the civil war.

Islamic insurgent groups have been battling the government for control of Mogadishu since December 2006. Rebel groups control most of southern and central Somalia, as well as significant portions of the capital.

http://www.ifex.org/somalia/2009/12/04/mairo_killed/

Somali Journalists Unite

Somali journalists are harshly oppressed. They live under constant threat of abduction, murder and prosecution.

Journalist Mohamud Mohamed Yusuf, nicknamed Ninile, of Radio Holy Quran (IQK) was shot in the stomach twice on July 6, 2009. Yusuf, 22, died of blood loss after being on the side of the road for almost 3 hours without medical assistance, as fighters fired shots at anyone who tried to take the journalist to the hospital. He was the sixth journalist murdered in Somalia in 2009.

Somali journalists have been threathened if they didn't join jihad. On 5 October 2009, the press secretary under Al-Shabaab, Sheik Hassan Yacqub, summoned journalists in Kismayo and read a number of edicts Al-Shabaab wants to have implemented. The edicts included an order that journalists either join the Al-Shabaab and take part in the "Jihad" (Holy War) going on in Somalia, or choose to be with the opposing side and leave the town altogether.

Here is the latest report from the National Union of Somali Journalists:

(NUSOJ/IFEX) - 30 November 2009 - Somali media and journalist associations decided on a cooperative action plan to counter the growing oppression of the media in Somalia. In 2009, six Somali journalists have been killed, others have been detained and several stations have been closed or taken over by armed groups.

More than 30 independent media houses, representing all parts of the Somali-speaking territories, signed a joined declaration calling for the establishment of a training and solidarity centre for reporters to handle security issues, arrests, corruption and biased reporting. Such a solidarity centre would document harassment, arbitrary arrests, imprisonment and torture of reporters, closure of radio stations and killings of journalists. It would collect detailed reports and evidence to end the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators.

The Somali journalists also decided to form a media collective to help the independent media to disseminate their news. Several radio stations based in all Somali-speaking territories will seek close cooperation. The stations committed to sharing their news through a central desk at a safe location. The collected materials will be redistributed to all the partnering stations. A structural training program to enhance the professional skills of the media sector will be included in the project.

Some stations based in the most restricted areas are considering building are-broadcasting station that would not be able to be controlled by any of the warring parties.

In their declaration, the Somali-speaking media houses and journalists organizations requested the Netherlands-based media development organization Press Now to develop a detailed work plan for the implementation of the centre. The journalists and media representatives gathered for three days of intense but fruitful debate and discussed practical solutions for the crisis of the Somali media. The Somali Media Development Conference was co-hosted by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and Press Now in Nairobi, Kenya, from 27 to 29 November 2009.
http://www.ifex.org/somalia/2009/12/01/action_plan/

For more information:

National Union of Somali Journalists
1st Floor, Human Rights House
Taleex Street, KM4 Area, Hodan District
Mogadishu Somalia
nusoj (@) nusoj.org
Phone: +252 1 859 944
Fax: +252 1 859 944
http://www.nusoj.org/

Lindhout and Brennan Freed in Somalia

SOURCE: International Press Institute
Journalists freed after 15 months as hostages

(IPI/IFEX) - VIENNA, 26 November 2009 - Somali gunmen have released two foreign freelance journalists who were taken hostage in Mogadishu over fifteen months ago.

Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout were kidnapped outside Mogadishu by unknown gunmen when they were traveling to research a story on the internally-displaced refugees in Somalia, Lindhout confirmed to Canadian TV. She had arrived three days earlier to report for French TV channel France 24, CBC News reported.

The kidnapping was met with an international outcry, but efforts to gain the pair's release were not successful until yesterday evening. The two were handed over to four members of Somalia's Transitional Federal Parliament at a checkpoint in the Afgoye District, according to the Mogadishu-based National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). This morning, they were escorted to neighbouring Kenya by government soldiers and African Union peacekeepers.

Lindhout told CTV: "My day was sitting on a corner on the floor in a room 24 hours a day for the last 15 months. She added: "There were times that I was beaten, that I was tortured. It was an extremely, extremely difficult situation."

Brennan told Reuters that he had been pistol whipped and chained since the two attempted to escape 10 months ago.

"We welcome the release of Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan, and our thoughts are with the journalists and their families as they are reunited after so many months of uncertainty and suffering," said IPI Director David Dadge. "Despite this happy outcome, we must remember that Somalia continues to be a deadly place for journalists both foreign and local, where the media struggle daily with the unacceptable threat of lethal violence.

"We are very happy this ordeal ended peacefully," said NUSOJ Secretary-General Omar Faruk Osman in a statement Emailed to IPI. "We are sharing our joy and relief over the release with the family and colleagues of the journalists."

In September 2008, Al-Jazeera aired video of the two along with their purported captors, the "Mujahideen of Somalia," which it said showed the pair pleading with their governments to negotiate their release. Since then, Lindhout was allowed periodic scripted phone calls with her mother and the media in hopes of convincing the Canadian government to hand over ransom money, reports said.

A ransom of $700,000 was paid for their release, according to Al-Jazeera sources, although the news outlet also reported rumors that up to $1million may have exchanged hands.

Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, a Somali journalist who was working as an interpreter for Brennan and Lindhout, was kidnapped with the journalists but freed in January this year.

http://www.ifex.org/somalia/2009/11/30/brennan_lindhout_release/

For more information:
International Press Institute
Spiegelgasse 21010 Vienna
Austria
ipi (@) freemedia.at
Phone: +43 1 5129011
Fax: +43 1 5129014
http://www.freemedia.at/

Somali Journalists Urged to Jihad

(NUSOJ/IFEX) - The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has expressed outrage and is alarmed by continuing violations against the independent media in Kismayo town, southern Somalia.

Serious press freedom violations have been reported in Kismayo since the recent eruption of internal fighting between rival Islamist groups battling for control of the town and its lucrative port.

The worst press freedom violations occurred on 5 October 2009, after the press secretary of the Kismayo Administration under Al-Shabaab, Sheik Hassan Yacqub, summoned journalists in Kismayo and read a number of edicts Al-Shabaab wants to have implemented. The edicts included an order that journalists either join the Al-Shabaab and take part in the "Jihad" (Holy War) going on in Somalia, or choose to be with the opposing side and leave the town altogether.

Those of the opposing view will not be allowed to stay and work in the town, according to Yacqub.

NUSOJ is perturbed that a number of journalists, representing various media organizations in the town, received threats ranging from arrest to expulsion. The affected journalists work for media houses in Mogadishu, Bossasso, Galkayo and Baidoa.

After the oppressive edicts were issued, many journalists decided to stop their journalistic work and some have already fled the country fearing for their safety.

"We are condemning this culture of issuing edicts and threats against journalists in Kismayo town in the strongest terms possible. This amounts to a serious violation of freedom of expression. These barbaric acts against journalists must stop forthwith," said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary-General.

NUSOJ notes with great concern that this development comes less than one month after the Al-Shabaab, in September, issued very restrictive edicts to journalists in Gedo region. There is only one radio station in Kismayo owned by the Al-Shabaab administration.

http://www.ifex.org/somalia/2009/10/13/violations_in_kismayo/

600,000 Somalians Displaced

15 July - Humanitarian agencies operating in Somalia have appealed for $11 million to provide aid to over 200,000 people who have fled Mogadishu since fighting broke out between the government and the opposition Al-Shabab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups in early May.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that those most in need of water, sanitation and hygiene services include more than 600,000 people displaced by clashes since 2007 and who are settled in the Afgooye corridor outside Mogadishu.

According to OCHA, aid agencies in the country are currently only able to supply two to eight litres of water per person per day in that area, which the agency said was not enough to sustain a living.There is also currently one latrine for every 212 displaced people in the Afgooye corridor, the report also pointed out.

“A major concern is the effect the lack of water is having on efforts to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in overcrowded situations,” OCHA said.

According to the appeal, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) requires $3.3 million before the end of July to maintain life-saving operations for more than 1 million conflict-affected people, while current emergency funding allocated for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is likely to be exhausted within the next two months, according to OCHA.

Over $2.1 million is also needed to provide water to drought-affected communities in Puntland, Somaliland and other areas in the south-central region of the country, where more than 227,000 people are currently subsisting on 2 litres of water per day or less. Violence continues in the Horn of Africa nation despite the signing of the UN-facilitated peace accord last year, as well as the election of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and the formation of a new Government in February.

Source: Afrol News

6th Journalist Shot in Mogadishu War

(NUSOJ/IFEX) - The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) renewed its call for the immediate end of hostilities in Mogadishu as the 6th journalist was shot dead on 4 July 2009 in the capital city.

Journalist Mohamud Mohamed Yusuf, nicknamed Ninile, of Radio Holy Quran (IQK) was shot in the stomach twice at around 8:00 a.m. (local time) at the Afarta Jardin conjunction in north Mogadishu, according to Mohamed Abdi Gedi, editor-in-chief of IQK.

Yusuf, 22, died of blood loss after being on the side of the road for almost 3 hours without medical assistance, as fighters fired shots at anyone who tried to take the journalist to the hospital. Yusuf left the radio station after reading the news headlines at 7:30 a.m., according to Gedi.

"We are sending our condolences to the family and colleagues of Mohamud Mohamed Yusuf. We denounce the fighting in Mogadishu and demand an immediate end to the war," said Abdirisak Omar Ismail, chairperson of the supreme council of NUSOJ.

The late journalist was a reporter, newscaster and occasional producer for IQK. When the bullets hit him, he was covering the ongoing fighting in the neighbourhoods surrounding the radio station.

http://www.ifex.org/somalia/2009/07/06/sixth_journalist_killed/

For more information:
National Union of Somali Journalists
1st Floor, Human Rights House
Taleex Street, KM4 Area, Hodan District
Mogadishu Somalia
nusoj (@) nusoj.org
Phone: +252 1 859 944
Fax: +252 1 859 944
http://www.nusoj.org/

Somali Pirates Capture Saudi Aramco Oil Carrier

DUBAI: On Monday, Nov. 17, pirates attacked and took control of the Saudi-owned large crude carrier Sirius Star off the east coast of Africa, the US Navy reports.

The vessel, which came under attack more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, is heading towards the coast of Somalia, a spokeswoman for the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet said.

“According to the latest report we have, the ship is approaching the Somali coast, heading towards Eyl (port),” she said, contacted by telephone from Dubai.

“Can we assume that the pirates are Somalis?"

"Yes.” The spokeswoman said she has no confirmation of a report on Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television that control of the vessel had been regained from the pirates.

Sirius Star, which is owned by Saudi Aramco, carried 25 crew members from Croatia, Britain, Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia, according to a US Navy statement. The 318,000-tonne vessel, launched earlier this year, is flagged in Liberia and operated by Vela International.

“Our presence in the region is helping deter and disrupt criminal attacks off the Somali coast, but the situation with the Sirius Star clearly indicates the pirates’ ability to adapt their tactics and methods of attack,” Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said in the US Navy statement.

The International Maritime Bureau has reported that at least 83 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January, of which 33 were hijacked. Of those, 12 vessels and more than 200 crew were still in the hands of pirates.

Last week, the European Union started a security operation off the coast of Somalia, north of Kenya, to combat growing acts of piracy and protect ships carrying aid agency deliveries.

Source: Pakistan Daily Dawn