MOGADISHU, Somalia, 20 September 2025 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) condemns the threats of disappearance and harm made against woman journalist, Anisa Ahmed, in Mogadishu by the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).
On 14 September, while carrying out her reporting assignment, Dalbile TV journalist Anisa Ahmed was stopped by Abdirahman Ali Mohamud, the NISA commander in charge of Dayniile district, Mogadishu. Anisa and her cameraman were reporting from Dayniile’s Oodweyne neighborhood, where armed police were deployed to forcibly evict families occupying former government land. During the eviction, gunfire erupted, killing at least one civilian and injuring four others, according to media reports.
According to an audio recording obtained by SJS in the aftermath of the incident, the NISA commander can be heard questioning Anisa on why she returned to report from the area, referring to her previous arrest in the same district late last month. While her cameraman managed to leave the area safely, Anisa told SJS that she was harassed and “threatened with disappearance” by Abdirahman Ali Mohamud. She later left the scene.
On the same day, Anisa posted the audio recording of her interaction with Abdirahman Ali Mohamud on her Facebook page. That evening, she received a call from MohamedKafi Sheikh Abukar, a NISA agent in charge of media monitoring who is also attached to state media in Mogadishu. MohamedKafi had previously been suspended from NISA a year ago following investigations into allegations of extortion, kidnapping and sexual violence against female detainees in NISA custody. However, he was reinstated in June this year after his relative Mahad Salad returned to NISA’s leadership.
According to a second audio recording obtained by SJS, MohamedKafi Sheikh Abukar can be heard instructing Anisa to join a WhatsApp conference call where the NISA commander for Banadir region, Moalim Salah—a former Al-Shabaab defector—joined the conversation and was introduced to her. During the call, MohamedKafi Sheikh Abukar pressured Anisa to delete her Facebook post from that day, promising in return to grant her and her relatives “access to the roads in Mogadishu.” He also questioned whether Anisa had previously attended Ministry of Information seminars and asked about her place of residence.
EXCLUSIVE: Shortly past 7:00pm local time yesterday, a member of Somalia intelligence agency @HSNQ_NISA MohamedKafi Sheikh Abukar makes a call to a woman journalist in Mogadishu. The woman is Anisa Ahmed who yesterday complained against #NISA‘s harassment while on journalism… pic.twitter.com/qQQJB6qheg
— Abdalle Ahmed Mumin (@Cabdalleaxmed) September 15, 2025
Due to security restrictions, many of Mogadishu’s main roads remain blocked to the public, and access to key infrastructure such as the airport and government buildings often requires either personal connections or government-issued IDs. As a result, many local journalists, and non-government personnel fall into the trap of being given IDs from security agencies, including NISA, to gain access to these roads.
MohamedKafi Sheikh Abukar further asked Anisa to come to a police station “to resolve the matter,” which she refused. During the WhatsApp call, Anisa also declined to delete her Facebook post. However, on 16 September, Anisa reported that MohamedKafi Sheikh Abukar continued to pressure her, threatening arrest if she did not remove the post. She also reported that he instructed her to ask SJS to delete the audio recording it had published. Under pressure, Anisa eventually deleted both the audio recording and her Facebook post.
That was still not enough. On 17 September, Anisa was forced to publish an apology statement on her Facebook page, where she stated: “I, Anisa Ahmed, a journalist working in Mogadishu, would like to express here my appreciation and respect for the security agencies and government officials.”
“The threats, harassment, and forced apology against our colleague Anisa Ahmed represent a grave attack on press freedom and the safety of journalists in Somalia,” said Abdalle Mumin, Secretary General of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) “Anisa Ahmed is a double victim in this case: first, subjected to harassment and threats of disappearance while performing her journalistic duties, and second, forced to publicly apologize under pressure from NISA officials.”
“It is unacceptable that NISA officials, including those previously implicated in abuses against journalists, continue to intimidate reporters with impunity. We demand an immediate end to these threats, accountability for those responsible, and protection for Anisa and all journalists who courageously serve the public,” Mr. Mumin adds.