Journalists Under Fire in Mogadishu

In a chilling reminder of the fragile state of press freedom, the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) has denounced a troubling series of arrests, threats, and intimidation targeting Mogadishu’s journalists. Over a mere 48-hour window, the SJS reported an unsettling escalation, tallying 15 arbitrary detentions, equipment seizures, and myriad hurdles placed before media personnel by security forces. Foremost among the culprits were the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and local police, both eager to suppress coverage of evolving political landscapes and public sentiment in the bustling capital.

Such actions represent a direct affront to the cornerstone principles of a free press and the public’s entitlement to both access and share information. In no uncertain terms, the SJS implores Somali officials to cease these oppressive tactics immediately and honor the constitutional rights safeguarding journalists.

On the morning of Thursday, May 22, a stark example played out when Somali police briefly arrested three brave journalists: Abdullahi Yusuf Hassan (RNN TV), Mohamed Hassan Geedi (RNN TV), and Yahye Mohamud Hersi (Himilo Somali TV). According to the detained journalists, after their arrest, they were unceremoniously handed over to NISA officers and subsequently shuffled to the Hodan District Administration office for further detention.

Among them, Anisa Abdiaziz Hussein, a reporter with Himilo Somali TV, provided a firsthand account to the SJS. Upon witnessing armed men aggress the journalists, she chose the perilous option of fleeing on foot. The team had been in the heart of reporting on a protest led by local women meat sellers at Mogadishu’s famous Zoobe Junction, these women voicing their grievances against the destruction of their makeshift market stalls.

In a further twist, NISA officers reportedly confiscated the journalists’ equipment, gutting their content by deleting crucial footage. An editor from Himilo Somali TV confided to the SJS that ominous phone threats later demanded a media blackout regarding the women’s protest and the demolitions. An unsettling compromise saw the journalists released under duress—promised freedom only by agreeing to silence.

The spotlight shifted from Mogadishu to South Galkayo on the night of Friday, May 23. There, online reporter Ali Maalin Nuur faced arrest following his candid social media post about truck drivers stranded due to a roadblock. In the now-pulled-down video clip, Nuur detailed how Galmudug State security forces were extorting additional fees from the drivers, leaving their trucks—and livelihoods—paralyzed for days. A nocturnal raid by armed police at Nuur’s residence heralded his arrest.

According to Nuur, the act was greenlit by Governor Abdinasir Abdukadir Abdulle of Galmudug’s Mudug region. Why was his name inexplicably absent from the police’s occurrence book? Fear hung heavy, as officers coerced Nuur into deleting his report from Facebook, implicitly threatening indefinite custody otherwise. Legal recourse felt elusive, as a senior Galmudug State Ministry of Information official labeled the arrest plainly illegal but admitted an ongoing dialogue with the governor.

Saturday, May 24, witnessed NISA agents in Mogadishu briefly detaining a cluster of four journalists: from Shabelle TV, Abdinasir Abduqadir Salah and Abdinasir Sayid Ali; and from SYL TV, Abdirahman Abdulle Rooble and Hassan Ahmed Takow. Their mission? Gathering public perspectives on an opposition coalition event. Instead, they were led to a secluded area near Waberi Police Station, only to face intense interrogation and harassment, emphasizing the peril of continued critical reporting on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

That Friday had seen political heavyweights—including former leaders Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Hassan Ali Khaire, and Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke—speaking out against the President’s alleged authoritarian inclinations ahead of the 2026 election. In a nation hungry for democratic restoration, had Mogadishu’s streets become mirrors of the citizens’ discontent?

Still on May 24, a persistent challenge unfolded for other media operatives. Ambitious journalists like Ismail Yabarow Hassan from Somali Cable TV and their peers, including Ja’far Abdirisak Mohamed and Shukri Hashi from Goobjoog Media, faced the stoppage of their canvassing by NISA officers. Queries delving into the murky waters of political tension were swiftly quashed. Equipment was confiscated; footage was purged, and the cautionary specter of further detentions loomed.

“In the past 48 hours, we have witnessed a new wave of attacks against journalists in Mogadishu,” shared SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin. “This offensive undercuts press freedom and the bedrock of democracy in Somalia.”

Mumin vehemently noted, “These violations will not end until accountability anchors them. Now, more than ever, unity among journalists and media organizations is essential. Those who perpetrate these attacks must face justice—not today, perhaps, but inevitably tomorrow.”

Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.