Escalating Attacks on Journalists in May Raise Press Freedom Concerns

IPI calls on the international community to intensify pressure on the Somali government to ensure accountability for attacks against journalists

The International Press Institute’s global network has sounded the alarm over a sharp rise in attacks, arrests, intimidation and harassment targeting journalists across Somalia, with May 2026 standing out as a particularly volatile month. IPI is urging diplomats and international partners to press Somali authorities to make the protection of journalists and press freedom an urgent priority.

These developments come as Somalia conducts local council and state assembly elections, alongside heated national debates about the government’s term and the country’s democratic trajectory. The fraught political environment has coincided with growing restrictions on independent reporting and a spike in incidents that undermine journalists’ ability to work safely.

IPI and partner organisations have recorded multiple assaults on media workers, including reporters specialising in climate and environmental coverage, and say there has been an intensified campaign to curb reporting on forced evictions. A string of episodes in May, the institute warns, reveals a worrying pattern of repression directed at news teams.

On May 6, Shabelle TV journalist Shukri Aabi Abdi and cameraman Abdullahi Abdifatah Sidow were detained by armed police in Mogadishu’s Hamar Jajab district while reporting on forced evictions. According to IPI, officers assaulted Shukri—causing a finger injury—confiscated her phone and seized the crew’s camera equipment before taking both journalists to the Hamar Jajab police station. The pair were released later the same day and no charges were filed against them.

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