Mogadishu’s Press: Under Siege or Speaking Truth to Power?

In a world where words possess power, and power can transform societies, what happens when voices are silenced? Such questions are becoming increasingly poignant in Mogadishu, Somalia’s vibrant capital, where the very essence of press freedom is under siege.

“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar; you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say,” observed author George R.R. Martin. This sentiment resounds with piercing clarity as the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) denounces a recent incendiary call to violence by Karaan District Commissioner, Farah Adani. His incendiary rhetoric – urging attacks with “machetes and sticks” – targets none other than journalists daring to critique power structures.

Imagine the scene: the early hours of Monday morning, cloaked in silence and shadow. Around 1:30 a.m. on the 5th of May, agents from the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) raided a home in the Shibis district. This residence, a sanctuary for journalists Bashir Ali Shire and Mohamed Omar Baakaay, became ground zero for aggression against free speech.

The armed intruders, masked by darkness, blindfolded and seized Bashir Ali Shire of MM Somali TV. As they confiscated electronics – an external hard drive, CCTV storage, a precious phone – an unsettling question lingered: who will defend these voices?

Mohamed Omar Baakaay was absent that fateful night, yet the agents arrested his brother, Anas Omar Mohamud. With pistols drawn, they harassed and battered Anas in a shadowy corner of Shibis, demanding to know Mohamed’s whereabouts. This chilling episode brings to mind Ernest Hemingway’s insight: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” For these journalists, bleeding for truth has become starkly literal.

By dawn’s light, the captives found themselves at the Shibis Police Station, only to be grudgingly released midday. Yet, lingering threats meant they had to relinquish vital contact information under duress. Meanwhile, journalist Baakaay, still managing to reach his audience via Facebook, remains in self-imposed exile, his documents confiscated, his safety compromised.

The storm had been brewing. Merely a day before the raid, Commissioner Adani’s public statement, broadcast across platforms, had unleashed a venomous diatribe, labeling Baakaay a “drug addict and worse than terrorists.” By encouraging vigilantism with the call to “break the journalist’s bones,” did Commissioner Adani not cross a moral line?

Baakaay, with a social media reach of over 320,000 followers, exposes uncomfortable truths. His recent report highlighted the exploitation of vulnerable women for political gain, a revelation that provoked the ire of those criticized.

After Commissioner Adani’s inciteful speech, a flood of threatening imagery and messages targeting journalists swamped social media. Even on streets, one journalist faced a dire warning of a “machete attack” should he dare critique President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Such rhetoric is sadly becoming the norm, not the exception. The SJS raises alarms over escalating perils confronting Mogadishu’s journalists, threats insidiously linked to those in power. The haunting words of Edmund Burke echo: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

SJS strongly urges swift action: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Mayor Mohamed Ahmed Amiir must suspend Commissioner Adani and pursue an impartial investigation. Already, the chilling effect on Mogadishu’s independent journalism is palpable, a grave threat to Somalia’s fragile democracy.

Concisely, Abdalle Mumin, SJS Secretary General, implores: “We condemn the raids, the threats, and calls for violence. Journalists, the custodians of truth, must be protected. Those who seek to incite harm must face consequences to safeguard freedom of expression and democratic discourse.”

In the struggle for truth, who will stand with the storyteller? In Mogadishu, as in any corner of the globe, the answer to this question will shape societies for generations to come.

Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International–Monitoring