Somalia: Leading Mogadishu Radios Back on Air

According to BBC Monitoring sources in Mogadishu, the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) has returned the equipment removed by its forces from the studios of HornAfrik Radio in the capital, Mogadishu. The government also promised to return those belonging to Shabelle and Simba radios. BBCM observed that the three radio stations returned to the air on 4 March, with HornAfrik airing its morning programmes at 0600 gmt.

The removal of the studio equipment affected the operations of three stations namely Shabelle Radio, HornAfrik Radio and Simba Radio, forcing them to go off air for two days.

Although this development was confirmed by BBCM sources which monitored some programmes from the radio stations, none of the major Somali news websites, including those affiliated to the affected stations, reported a resumption of the radios’ operations. Somalia’s prominent news sites such as HornAfrik.com, Allpuntland.com, Allsbc.com, Waagacusub.com, Dayniille.com, Puntlandpost.com and others did not publish any news about the return to the airwaves of the radio stations, while they all had their closure as major news stories on 3 March.

Forces loyal to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) raided and forced these three prominent private radio stations in Mogadishu off the air on 2 March. The affected radio stations in this latest widespread crackdown on media include HornAfrik, Shabelle and Simba, local websites reported.

The three radio stations are located in Mogadishu’s Bakaaraha Market, the epicentre of fighting between the TFG forces and insurgents in the troubled Somali capital.

This latest crackdown came after the stations allegedly aired reports of the fighting between insurgents and government forces near Bakaaraha Market. But Somali journalists say that they are independent and that their reports favoured no sides in the conflict. Local journalists, however, believe that the move by the TFG forces to shut down the radio stations is aimed at silencing the media in a bid to stop them reporting the crisis in Mogadishu. Late last year, the TFG adopted a seven-point media regulation barring the local media from reporting security issues and the presence of Ethiopian forces in the capital, Mogadishu.

Media reactions

A report published on the Radio Simba website on 2 March said that government forces stormed the station and removed studio equipment after assaulting some of the journalists who were on duty at the time. “The radio is currently off-air after some of its vital equipment was taken away by the troops. Some radio journalists were also tortured,” the website said.

Meanwhile, a report published on the website of Shabelle Radio, one of the oldest private broadcasters in Somalia, said that “forces loyal to the TFG forcibly and violently entered the radio premises and whisked away the director, Mukhtar Muhammad Hirabe at gunpoint, while also taking away with them some of the main studio equipment”. A statement attributed to the chairman of the Shabelle Media Network, Abdimalik Yusuf Mahmud, said: “We condemn this barbaric attack against our radio station by forces loyal to the TFG and we call on the government leaders to, first and foremost, assure the safety of our director and his immediate and unconditional release”.

Although the mainstream private media reacted with the same voice to the closure of the radio stations, the pro-government websites, however, acted differently.

The little-known pro-government Idamaale.com website simply described the Shabeelle and Simba stations as anti-government radio stations which supported terrorist groups.

A report published on the website on 2 March said: “These radio stations (Shabeelle and Simba) have openly supported the terrorist groups which are opposed to peace and stability in Somalia. For the last two days, these radio stations have been airing reports against the sovereignty and the unity of the Somali people, and this was the reason behind their closure”. This website is reportedly affiliated to Husayn Hubsired, who is an adviser to TFG President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad.

Puntland-based Allpuntland.com website echoed the same sentiment, saying “the radio stations were targeted after they exaggerated facts about the recent Mogadishu fighting between the insurgents and the TFG forces”.

Government distances itself from crackdown

Meanwhile, the TFG has distanced itself from the media crackdown which is allegedly being carried out by its forces. According to a report published by the Voice of America website on 2 March, the minister of information, who is also the co-founder of Radio HornAfrik, Ahmad Abdisalam Haji Adan, said the crackdown was not initiated by the government. “This was not a decision by the government. As you may already know, there has been fighting in the Bakaaraha area since yesterday [1 March] between insurgents and government forces. And today there has been widespread looting of private property and businesses. Some insurgents wearing government uniforms went into various businesses, including some of these radio stations and took some equipment”.

Local, international condemnation

A local media watchdog, the Alliance of Somali Journalists (ASOJ), has vehemently condemned the TFG’s actions, which it said were aimed curtailing media freedom in Somalia. The ASOJ said the Ethiopian government was responsible for the violations against local media in the country. Its chairman, Mr Dahir Abdulle Alasow said: “We believe that the government of [Ethiopia's Prime Minister] Meles Zenawi is behind the acts of violations being committed by the TFG forces against the prominent radio stations in Mogadishu. The Ethiopian government is endeavouring to make Somalia a country without media freedom, like Ethiopia”.

According to a report by the international rights group Amnesty International, all sides in the Somali conflict seem to be united, at least in one goal: trying to curtail independent media by “killing, arresting and threatening” reporters.

This is not the first time these radio stations have been shut down by the government or by forces loyal to it. They had been shut down more than a dozen times in the past.

In 2007 in Somalia at least eight journalists were killed, five wounded and 42 others arrested while more 50 others fled to neighbouring countries.

Originally published by BBC Monitoring research in English 4 Mar 08.

(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Africa. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.