MOGADISHU, Somalia, 19 March 2025 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) is alarmed by the escalating crackdown on journalists covering security issues in Mogadishu, following a recent announcement by the Somali government banning coverage of Al-Shabaab threats in the capital.
On Tuesday, 18 March, the Somali police in Mogadishu briefly arrested 19 journalists from local and international media in the aftermath of an Al-Shabaab bombing attack that targeted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy outside Villa Somalia, the presidential palace.
The attack resulted in multiple casualties, including journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe. The journalist’s body was laid to rest today, Wednesday, with family and fellow journalists in attendance.
Following the attack, Mogadishu police launched a crackdown on journalists who had gone to the scene to report on the incident. The 19 journalists were detained, loaded onto a police truck, and transported to Hamar Jajab police station. At the station, police confiscated their equipment and deleted their footage and photos before releasing them.
The arrested journalists are:
- Farah Mohamed Adam – Cameraman, Somali Cable TV
- Abdiihafid Nor Barre – Reporter, Somali Cable TV
- Nor Hassan Ali – Cameraman, RTN TV
- Hamdaan Sheikh Ahmed – Reporter, RTN TV
- Farhan Abdirisak Dahir – Cameraman, Himilo TV
- Abdullahi Abdulkadir Dahir – Reporter, Himilo TV
- Salman Abdirisak Shire – Cameraman, Somali People TV
- Qasim Abdulle Barrow – Reporter, Somali People TV
- Salah Osman Bille – Cameraman, RNN TV
- Abdullahi Yusuf Hassan – Reporter, RNN TV
- Ayanle Abdi Nuur – Cameraman, Goobjoog TV
- Rowdo Hassan Abdi – Reporter, Goobjoog TV
- Abdinasir Abukar Hared – Cameraman, Al Jazeera Arabic
- Abdirahman Hussein – Camerajournalist, Reuters
- Farah Abdi Warsame – Photographer, Associated Press
- Abukar Mohamed Muhidin – Photographer, Anadolu Agency
- Ismail Hussein Ismail – Cameraman, Dalsan TV
- Abdisalan Jule Shakir – Reporter, Dalsan TV
- Abdirahman Mohamed Waaberi – reporter for Daljir Media.
Shortly after these arrests, police raided the Risaala Media Corporation studio, forcibly entering the premises and shutting down both Risaala Radio and its affiliated Risaala TV. Five journalists from Risaala Media were also briefly detained before being released.
This latest crackdown comes just a week after Somali Minister of Information Daud Aweis threatened “legal action and severe punishment” against journalists and media outlets reporting on security failures in Mogadishu amid growing Al-Shabaab attacks in and around the Somali capital.
His statement on 6 March 2025, followed a terror attack warning issued by the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu and the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi respectively.
SJS strongly condemns the brutal Al-Shabaab bombing in Mogadishu, which killed civilians, including journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe. At the same time, we denounce the ruthless crackdown by Somali police on journalists, which severely undermines press freedom. Somali media remains caught between hell and the devil—today, no journalist feels safe in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, as a result of attacks from both sides.
“The Somali government’s crackdown on journalists covering security issues is a blatant attack on press freedom. Arresting reporters, confiscating their equipment, and erasing their footage only serve to silence the truth and obstruct the public’s right to information,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin, “Somali journalists are already risking their lives to report the facts, and this repression makes their work even more dangerous. The government must stop targeting the press and uphold media freedom as a fundamental right.”
“The Cabinet of Ministers must repeal its 6 March statement, which tends to criminalize media reporting on security issues. Police officers in Mogadishu must understand that journalists are there to tell the story—they should not be targeted, arrested, or have their equipment confiscated,” Mr. Mumin added.