Mog mayor wants no bad news on the radio
Politicians moan continually about their press coverage. Bad news reflects badly. Mogadishu mayor Mohamed Dheere told broadcasters and publishers to stop the bad news or else.
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Mohamed Dheere, generously referred to as the mayor of Somalia’s capital city, is one of many ‘former’ warlords who have seized control of the country and its people. He told broadcasters specifically not to ‘exaggerate’ reports of refugees, as many as 600,000, fleeing out of fear. He informed journalists and station owners of his decision in meeting Monday and Tuesday of this week (November 26-27).
The order prohibits interviews with members of the opposition and reporting on counterinsurgency without clearance by government censors.
“People in Mogadishu today, they have no radio to listen. They have no newspaper to read,” said National Union of Somali Journalists director Omar Faruk Osman to Voice of America (VOA) reporter Alisha Ryu. Radio stations in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia haven’t just been shut-down, they’ve been shot down. In April GBC radio and television was destroyed in artillery shelling. In the last two weeks Radio Banadir and Radio Simba were shut down by armed troops. Shabelle Radio was closed for the 8th time. Bashir Nur Gedi, Radio Shabelle’s director, was assassinated in October.
GBC owner Dalmar Yusuf Ghelle told ftm this week he’s returning to Mogadishu “after 30 days, to reopen the station.” He currently operates a satellite distributed radio channel called Dhaladradio from the UK. “It’s hard to work in Somalia now,” he added. - Michael Hedges November 28, 2007
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On December 7, 2007 Dalmar Yusuf Ghelle, Owner of GBC TV and Radio Mogadishu, Somalia wrote:
Somali Journalists are in the most horrible circumstances forever the history of Somalia.
Seeing that unaccountable Somali journalists run away from there war torn country those remained in the country for the news coverage of there public were put in danger these most recent days by political combating groups in there motherland.
Somali Journalists have more death threat by phone or by live speaking groups to them a propos of their news bulletin.
Somali journalist who rebuffed to be identified says” as I was on a bus from my district to bus station close to the radio centre three heavily armed government forces pulled up the vehicle and keep out me from the other people after more deterrent words and pointing open trigger gun they asked me who iam? I said iam journalist works for one of the local radios they said to me you are wanted man if you are so I said I did no mistake thing they put there in my pocked they picked me up my business card after they seemed to be unhappy for the radio I was working for and released after untellable threat “
Another journalist who also refused to be namely identified said” i am threatened at least 5 times by phone I don’t how I can carry on my journalism career in here after today I may vacate from this dreadful words from me “
More than 3 prominent radios are still closed by the government such as one of the most popular radio of shabelle which was closed by TFG fire power when heavily armed forces from the government entered inside the radio house and ordered the journalists inside there to drop down from the building and took from at that point the acting director and the editor and released minutes after oral exam and the radios closure time is 20 days
Samba and Banadir radio them selves are still closed and no conformity articles still from the government and these independent radio’s chiefs.
A total of eight Somali journalists have been killed in the country so far this year, according to media watch groups. Most incidents involving violations on the free press disproportionately take place in Mogadishu, including the targeted killings of two prominent media personalities since August. GBC Tv & radio is close 14 August :
The continued abuse of reporters across Somalia has become the norm in a country where searching for the truth can get you killed.
There is no doubt that many parties to the Somali conflict want to silence the truth and to hide their hideous acts from the public.
Many journalists have fled Mogadishu over the past three months after increased death threats and the brutal continuation of the capital' s endless cycle of violence On the hole no one can predict how Mogadishu’s media position will be if each journalist said Iam expression of grief goodbye to the people I used work for them but now the Mogadishu’s life refused me to carry on my respectful journalism job.
The government accuses Somali journalists of fanning the insurgency by giving air-time to its leaders and exaggerating their attacks. But Islamists have also criticized the media at times for being too close to the government.
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