MUDUG, {RAXANREEB)-Puntland authorities have confirmed that several prisoners affiliated with the Al-Shabaab group escaped from a prison in the northern part of Gaalkacyo city, which is administered by Puntland. The number of escapees has been reported to be 12 Al-Shabaab prisoners, all of whom had previously been sentenced to death or life imprisonment, as security...
Somalia: Somali Government Calls for Anti-AlShabaab Protest Amid Unresolved Questions from Deadly Attack
Mogadishu, (Raxanreeb) – A high-level security meeting was held today in Mogadishu, chaired by the Federal Security Minister. The meeting was attended by the country’s Police Chief, Sulub Ahmed, the Head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Abdullahi Sanbalolshe and the Mayor of Mogadishu. The primary focus of the meeting was to address...
Somalia: A week after his release on bail, journalist Alinur Salad is unable to conduct journalism; President Hassan has not fulfilled his promise to drop the case
MOGADISHU, Somalia, 04 August 2024 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) calls on Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to instruct his attorney general to drop the politically-motivated charges against Dawan Media director and journalist Alinur Salad, who is currently out of jail on bail. A week has passed since Alinur Salad was released on bail, guaranteed by a...
Somalia: Mogadishu Court Sentences 9 TikTok Influencers to Six Months for Incitement
Mogadishu (Raxanreeb), Banadir Regional Court has today sentenced 9 young women, who were social media influencers, and had recently been detained by the Somali government’s police forces in the country’s capital of Mogadishu. The court has finally issued a verdict on the charges against these women, who were well-known on TikTok on Sunday. Among them...
Liido Beach Attack: How Did Al-Shabaab Breach Mogadishu’s Security?
Last night, Mogadishu’s popular Liido Beach became a scene of horror as gunmen and a suicide bomber from Al-Shabaab launched a deadly attack, killing over 60 and wounding more than a hundred civilians who were there for weekend leisure. Official reports from Mogadishu police put the death toll at 32, with 63 injured. However, this...
Somalia: Statement by Independent House in arbitrary arrest and detention of journalist Ali Nur Salad.
Muqdisho (Raxanreeb ) -The arbitrary arrest and detention of Dawan Media Director Alinur Salad followed by a preposterous court order is yet another effort by state authority to suppress media freedom and cover up corruption amidst difficult economic times in Somalia. Independence House is deeply troubled by this abusive use of state apparatus to trample...
Senior journalist’s reporting blocked amid rising intimidation and censorship on state-media journalists in Somalia
MOGADISHU – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) condemns the restrictions imposed on senior state media journalist Abdulkadir Isse Ali’s reporting on Somali military court activities. This restrictive and threatening behavior against journalists’ labour rights continues to affect numerous journalists and is part of a series of recent violations against the press in Somalia. On Saturday, 06...
Ugandan officer killed by roadside bomb in Somalia
A Ugandan military officer serving in Somalia was killed and six other soldiers were wounded when their convoy triggered a roadside bomb, Uganda’s military said on Monday, blaming fighters from the Islamist group al Shabaab. Uganda has about 5,000 troops serving in Somalia under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) peacekeeping mission. Major...
The final countdown to the Twelfth of July celebrations 2024 is under way
Bowler hats have been dusted off, shoes polished and instruments fine tuned as the Orange Order makes final preparations for the biggest day of the year in the parading calendar – the annual Twelfth of July celebrations. This year the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland (GOLI) will mark the 334th anniversary of the Battle of...
A Decade of Partnership: The First Somali Diaspora Conference in Istanbul and Personal Reflections
Ten years ago, I had the profound privilege of attending the Somali Diaspora Conference in Istanbul, an event that symbolized the beginning of a deep and enduring partnership between Turkey and Somalia. As I arrived in Istanbul, the warmth and hospitality of Turkey enveloped me. From the moment I landed at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, the...