Mogadishu (AX) — The delicate relationship between the Somali state and the media has reached another crossroads, underscored by recent developments involving the Shabelle Media Network. This Saturday, the Director General, Abuukar Sheikh Mohamud Abuukar, known as “Sky,” alongside Deputy Director Mohamud Abdinasir Soofeysane, found themselves detained by Somali police. These arrests have amplified the ongoing debate surrounding press freedom.
Initially summoned individually, both executives soon found themselves under custody at Mogadishu’s Hamarweyne District Police Station. In a statement brimming with indignation, Shabelle Media Network vehemently condemned the actions, demanding their prompt and unconditional release.
“This unlawful detention of our senior staff represents a blatant attack on media freedom. We call for their unconditional release and urge authorities to cease their intimidation of journalists,”
Such incidents prompt an uneasy question: How does a nation navigate its sovereignty, while balancing the sometimes conflicting freedom of expression? Reflecting this tension, the past few days have also witnessed the brief arrest of Faisal Omar, a photojournalist from Reuters, by Banadir Regional Police. These recurring events seem to map a worrying trajectory for media freedom in Somalia.
A compelling voice in this narrative comes from the opposition Himilo Qaran party, led by former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The party, in a forthright statement, portrayed these arrests as symptomatic of a broader governmental pressure on dissent and the free press.
“This shows that the government and the Banadir Regional Police have ignored repeated calls to stop suppressing the free media,”
They did not stop at that—demanding not just the release of Shabelle’s personnel, but also that of Abdirahman Suleyman Jama, Chairman of the Somali People’s Political Organization. Abdirahman’s arrest, just a week prior, also clouds the scene; he’s held on suspicions of acts against national security, following a pointed critique of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Shabelle TV.
Interestingly, it is this very critique that, as reported by varying sources, may have embroiled Mohamud Abdinasir Soofeysane in this legal snarl. Is this episode an inevitable clash between media duties and national security, or merely a thin veil for stifling dissent?
So far, the Somali Federal Government remains tight-lipped, issuing no official commentary on these pressing arrests. Yet, the silence reverberates among press freedom advocates with growing alarm, marking Somalia as one of the world’s most perilous environments for journalists.
These unsettling incidents bring to mind the words of Edward R. Murrow, a renowned broadcaster, who once said, “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.” Are we, as a global community, observing the steady erosion of a free and critical press—arguably the backbone of any democracy? And what implications does this hold for Somali citizens hungry for truth and accountability?
Minutes turn anxiously to hours and days, and Mogadishu’s air weighted with anticipation speaks volumes. Herein lies a silent testament to the resilience of Somali journalists, whose courage in the face of intimidation is matched only by their relentless pursuit of truth—a pursuit that, hopefully, inspires necessary dialogue and change.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International–Monitoring
