Nairobi, Kenya. 10 October, 2009 :: Somalia is the most dangerous place for journalists accept Iraq as more media watchdogs point the finger at it ago. Many Somalia media cannot impartially report what is going on there because of fear of persecution from both sides that are fighting the policy of the country particularly insurgent groups.

Killings, threats, abductions and assaults are known in Somalia over the last four years even though this year 2009. Just about 15 journalists have been killed while many others wounded although other journalists and media professionals forced to flee their profession of journalism following when they received threat phone calls and it’s widely believed that the attacks and intimidations against journalists started while after the Islamic Courts Union succeeded to control most of south and central Somali regions at 2006 although now broken and divided into groups.

SOJRA would like to expend its experience and divulge for those who behinds the attacks and killings against both foreign and local journalists in Somalia from 2006 until this year of 2009.

On June 23^rd 2006 a Swedish cameraman named Martin Adler has been shot dead during a huge rally in Mogadishu, held to support a peace agreement. The peace deal was agreed in Sudan by the interim government and the Union of Islamic Courts, which took control of most Somali regions in south and central at that year.

Mr. Adler was shot once at close range with a pistol during a commotion time for an Ethiopian flag was set on fire. For that time until now it’s not clear why this cameraman was killed.

The years of 2007, 2008 and this year 2009 four prominent journalists and one media house act director were killed as same tactic as Martin Adler was murdered. The killers of these journalists were professional guys for doing assassinations and other relevant cases of it.

Since the United States of America (USA) did a lot of accusations to the Islamist organizations in Somalia that they are hiding some Al-Qaeda fighters inside Somalia particularly where they are controlling. Unfortunately the media society of Somalia didn’t see any foreign fighters particularly for those USA blamed that they are in Somalia.

It was really very painful news while Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a 30-year-old Kenyan wanted for a series of terror attacks in East Africa, was shot from a fleet of helicopter gunships as he travelled in a convoy near the coastal town of Barawe in Lower Shebelle region of Somalia.

From that time SOJRA realized that Somali journalists and media professionals were under just like the problems of Iraq journalists and lent that Somali journalists will face more dangerous situations from Al-Qaeda fighters and supporters who are in Somalia currently.

It’s widely believed that Islamist fundamentalist groups are not keen on the media society where ever they are in the world and believe that they are informers or spies who are helping or working for their enemies.

Apart from that, Al-shabab are the repressentative body of Al-Qaeda in East Africa Region as result of that United States of America critizized to Al-shabab that they have a close ties to Al-Qaeda added the list of world terrorist groups in the world.

However, the Islamist groups in Somalia have started a pressure against Somali journalists and media professionals over the last three years for the airing music songs and family stories.

While there is exist all these obstucles against journalists and media professionals in the country particularly where the Islamist groups are controlling there is also now a new method from Al-shabab which is airing the Islamic call to prayer, that was called out by a Sheik in district mosques at once in due course.

This method is the deadliest aggressive pressure from Al-shabab and against journalists and media society everywhere particularly regions and districts under Al-shabab administration even though there are audio voice for Islamic call to prayer recording program in every studio of the radio stations but Al-shabab are not longer want to let the journalists for airing that recording audios for Islamic call to prayer therefore they like to breakdown the important and well prepared time table of each radio station in their areas.

As we mentioned above, the worst regions for journalists and media professionals in the country are the following once;

Gedo region, Lower Jubba region, Middle Juba region, Lower Shabelle region and Bay region as well as Bakool region. The journalists living of all these regions are those whose life is under danger and mostly they faced direct and indirect threats, intimidations, arrests and assaults from both Al-shaba and Hizbul Islam.

For the moment the Somali Journalists’ Rights Agency (SOJRA) takes a close look for these journalists in order to make sure the protection of the journalists and media professionals in these regions because they can face possible attacks, arrests and even assassinations from the Islamic radical groups in the country.

“The reason I was leave my honey country is just while Al-shabab tried to force me to carry some exploded materials inside my video camera while the president Sheikh Sharif is aiming to hold a press conference”    

A camera man who is requested SOJRA to hide his name told this story while SOJRA is going to investigate the reason that Somali journalists being killed, assaulted, and intimidated.

Therefore, As our colleagues in Kismayo confirmed us the capital of lower Juba region of southwest Somalia Al-shabaab spokesman Sheikh Hassan Yakub summoned his office the local journalists in Kismayo and read a some of their noble objectives that Al-Shabab wants to be implemented. The declaration included some articles that ordering the journalists to either join the Al-Shabab and take part in the “Jihad” (Holy War) going on in Somalia, or choose to be with the opposing side and leave the town altogether as well as the areas of Islamists widely.

These caused that many of Somali journalists and media professionals to decide to leave and fled the country without meditation for how they can survive their life while they haven’t any tangible expenses for their trip.

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