The government and the terror group al Shabaab have been identified as major obstacles to press freedom in Somalia, according to the State of the Media report released by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). The report highlights the severe repression and threats journalists face, making it difficult for them to perform their duties.
“The threats and challenges faced by journalists have crippled the media’s operating environment in Somalia over the past year,” the report states. It documents numerous serious violations, including arrests, detentions, torture, and even the murder of a journalist, painting a grim picture of media freedom in the country.
In the report, which recorded attacks on journalists in 2023, 60 percent of the incidents involved brief arrests and detentions, often used as intimidation tactics to suppress critical reporting. Prolonged detentions accounted for 17 percent of the attacks, raising serious concerns about due process and the conditions of confinement.
Equally alarming were instances of torture, also making up 17 percent of the cases, highlighting the severe physical risks journalists face.
The State of the Media report identifies police forces as the primary perpetrators, responsible for nearly 87 percent of the incidents. Mogadishu, the country’s capital, is deemed the most dangerous place for journalists, with about 40 percent of the attacks occurring there.
The report further suggests that the concentration of attacks indicates a targeted effort to control or deny media coverage in the heart of the country’s political landscape.
It also highlights the tragic loss of Abdifatah Moallim Nur, also known as Qeys, a respected journalist and Director at Somali Cable TV, who died on October 16, 2023, in an apparent suicide bomb attack at the Blue-Sky restaurant in Mogadishu, believed to have been orchestrated by the terror group al Shabaab.
“The findings of this State of the Media Report are deeply troubling and paint a bleak picture of the current freedom landscape in Somalia,” said NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman.
President William Ruto has stated that there was no credible reason for contesting the withdrawn Finance Bill 2024.
Speaking at a roadside rally in Taita Taveta on Sunday, Ruto dismissed the contention as “propaganda and rumours” from a few quarters, arguing that the bill had positive proposals to improve the lives of Kenyans despite its unbearable tax provisions.
“Nilikuwa nimeweka the budget lakini ikaletewa kizungumkuti ikaenda segemnege. Wengine wakapiga NO hio kitu yote ikapotea sasa imerudi niende nifanye ukarabati ingine. Unaona vile hawa watu wananitesa, wananisumbua,” said Ruto, hinting at introducing a revised bill. “Na ni fitina tupu, ooh sijui imewekwa mambo ya cancer, sijui imewekwa nini ya mashamba na yote ni porojo na uongo lakini ya mungu ni mengi.”
The Head of State added that he has embraced the changes experienced in his government, noting that they have created room for better reforms in his leadership. “I have accepted that what has happened has given us a chance to build a better Kenya.
The government I have created now is a government of uniting all Kenyans,” he said. “I have created a cabinet that will bring all Kenyan communities together and it will unite us all to allow us to deal with addressing matters affecting the nation together.”
Ruto withdrew the Finance Bill amid public amid public upheaval after Kenyans took to the streets demanding its rejection.
Consequently, the National Assembly, in a Committee of the Whole House on Thursday, voted in agreement Ruto’s reservations and recommendations to delete all clauses of the Bill.
No provision contained in the Bill has a legal effect.
