MOGADISHU, Somalia 12 October 2026 – A Somali journalist covering the deepening security standoff in Mogadishu has disappeared after being seized by intelligence officers, the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) said, demanding the immediate release of Himilo Media’s Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim, who was taken by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) on Sunday 11 October 2026. His location remains undisclosed as pressure mounts on reporters documenting tensions between opposition-aligned forces and government troops in the capital.
Plainclothes NISA officers took Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim, a journalist with Himilo Media, at around midday on Sunday in Mogadishu, his colleagues said. Khadar had stepped out for lunch when the officers approached him at a restaurant close to Himilo Media’s offices in the Wadajir district. One colleague told SJS that no one at the station has seen him since.
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Hours before Khadar was reportedly taken, another Himilo Media staff member, cameraman Abdifatah Mohamed Hared, was stopped by NISA officers at a checkpoint on the road to the station’s offices, an area that also lies near the homes of opposition figures. Abdifatah said the officers slapped him during the encounter.
Abdifatah said he was heading to work on Sunday morning when he came upon heavily armed NISA personnel on the road. The officers questioned him about his destination, he said. After he replied that he was going to Himilo Media, “they became irritated and began slapping” him. He was eventually allowed to continue to the studio.
Himilo Media said that “security forces took Khadar into custody around 1:30 PM; the forces involved were the same ones the government deployed around the residences of opposition figures.”
Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim, who also serves as the station’s deputy director, has been closely covering the renewed tensions in Mogadishu between forces loyal to opposition leaders and government forces aligned with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Since Friday, a heavy security presence has been seen around the residences of former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire. Media reports said Sharif accused President Mohamud of preparing an attack on opposition leaders. By Sunday, reports said more forces had been positioned near the Mogadishu Airport Road, where several opposition figures live. Drones were also reported to be flying over the area.
The latest tensions in Somalia’s capital stem from unresolved disputes between the federal government leadership and opposition figures over constitutional amendments, the electoral system, and the schedule for federal and state elections. Armed clashes in Mogadishu in June this year between opposition forces and government troops left people dead and injured.
In his final report for Himilo Media before he was taken, Khadar said former President Sharif had warned that “if he is attacked, he will defend himself.” That same day, Khadar interviewed MP Yusuf Hussein Gama’diid, secretary of Sharif’s Himilo Qaran party, who accused President Mohamud of “provocation.”
Armed personnel were seen on the roads near Mogadishu Airport road on Sunday. | Photo: Hafid Nor/Facebook.
Himilo Media further reported that residents living near the opposition leaders’ homes had “begun leaving the area” and that “businesses had closed” as fears grew over a possible armed confrontation.
In posts on X, NISA accused security personnel linked to Sheikh Sharif of “aggression” against NISA officers operating in Wadajir district, the same district where opposition leaders reside.
As of Monday, 12 October, officials had not disclosed Khadar’s whereabouts, and NISA had not publicly stated why he was taken into custody. A government security contact, however, told SJS that Khadar was being held at a NISA facility known as “Godka Jila’ow 2” in Mogadishu. The facility, located near Mogadishu Central Prison, is a known NISA-run interrogation and torture centre where other journalists have previously been detained.
This is not the first time security forces in Mogadishu have detained Khadar. In October 2025, he and his colleague Ahmed Mohamed Adan were arrested after reporting on forced evictions in the city. A court later ordered their release.
SJS urged NISA to free Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim immediately and to stop harassing Himilo Media journalists in Mogadishu. The union also called for safeguards for all journalists covering the tensions between opposition leaders and the government in the capital.
“We strongly condemn the abduction of journalist Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim of Himilo Media and we demand that NISA immediately disclose his whereabouts and ensure his safe release. Journalists working for Himilo Media are being particularly targeted, and we call for these threats to stop,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.
“We also call on NISA and all other security forces to respect media freedom and the work of journalists, and to allow them to report independently on all developments in Mogadishu, including the reported security tensions in the capital. Civilians are concerned about their safety and need access to truthful and accurate information regarding their safety and security,” Mr. Mumin added.
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