IPI denounces Kismayo journalist killing, Mogadishu arrest of another journalist

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The International Press Institute on Sunday condemned the killing of Somali journalist Abshir Khalif Shidane in Kismayo and the separate detention of a television reporter in Mogadishu, calling the incidents the latest evidence of mounting pressure on the country’s media and urging swift accountability.

Shidane, 25, was shot and killed the evening of March 2 in Kismayo, the capital of Jubaland State, after a police officer opened fire following a brief argument at a checkpoint, according to reports from authorities and local press groups. The officer has been arrested and an investigation is underway, officials said.

Shidane’s death is the first reported killing of a journalist in Somalia this year. Since 2010, dozens of reporters and media workers have been killed in the country, where press freedom advocates say impunity for crimes against journalists remains pervasive.

“IPI strongly condemns the shooting of Abshir Khalif Shidane, and we join the media community in Somalia in mourning his death. While we welcome the initial arrest in this case, we call on Somali authorities to carry out a full investigation into this case that leads to meaningful accountability,” IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette said.

In a separate incident days earlier, Somali Cable TV journalist Abdihafid Nur Barre was detained by Somali National Army officers in Mogadishu on February 24. His detention is believed to be linked to online posts about the dismissal of four commanders of the Gorgor Forces who had objected to orders to reduce the allowances of injured or sick officers. The posts are no longer available online.

Barre was held at a military base in Mogadishu before being released on the evening of February 25, according to the Somali Journalists Syndicate. Rights organizations said his case underscores a pattern of harassment and intimidation aimed at silencing critical reporting.

IPI said the pattern of state-linked abuses has intensified concern about the safety of journalists as well as the public’s access to information. “The attacks and violence perpetrated by Somali security forces against journalists, including the detention of Abdihafid Nur Barre, are appalling. Somali authorities must ensure an end to violence and intimidation against journalists as well as an end to the impunity that further endangers journalist safety and the public’s right to information,” the group said.

Between July and December 2025, IPI documented at least 18 press freedom violations in Somalia — the second-highest tally in Africa during that period after the Democratic Republic of Congo. The organization’s monitoring has tracked arrests, threats and assaults against media workers, alongside efforts to restrict reporting on security and governance.

Somali authorities have not publicly disclosed further details about the Kismayo inquiry beyond the arrest, but press freedom groups stressed that a credible, transparent investigation — and prosecution where warranted — is essential to begin reversing a long-standing culture of impunity. Advocates also urged officials to reinforce clear guidance for security forces on lawful engagement with journalists and to ensure that complaints about coverage are handled through legal channels rather than coercion.

The killings and detentions have reverberated across Somalia’s media community, where reporters frequently operate at personal risk while covering conflict, politics and corruption. Rights groups say sustained accountability for attacks on the press and consistent safeguards against arbitrary detention remain central to protecting both journalists and the public’s right to know.

By Ali Musa

Axadle Times international–Monitoring.