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Mogadishu 06 September, 2009:: Change we can but we are not well skilled, its really great victory for the Somali Journalists’ Rights Agency (SOJRA) to spell out what had happened and what is going on right now in order to update the international community who are always keen for organizing Somali reconciliation meetings and all that meetings became fruitless and ended up with failure.

The international community always spent a lot of fund in order to reestablish a new form of government for Somalia.

Everyone, in this world knows that Somalia has not had powerful government which can control the security of the country from corner to corner since the overthrow of Siad Barre regime although there are self stated regional administrations in part of the country such as Puntland and Somaliland but the south and central regions of the country are still under violence and civil war.

Hopefully, you will get good understanding at this report and become well insider the root cause of the failure for all Somali reconciliation conferences.

Since the civil war erupted the country Somali people divided into tribes and each tribe is straggling to lead the policy of the country particularly the majority clans are the first one such as Hawiye, Darood, Dir and Digilmirifle while the minority clans remain marginalized and forgotten victims.

Mostly Hawiye and Darood are active tribes and they have eagle-eyed policy that each one wants to take the leadership and each one has warlord. Therefore this political competition inside the clans is the first figure but there is some hiding groups that the people might not know them although some of them are common such Business community, Diaspora society and Islamists groups are new in the political arena and leadership.

It’s widely believed that the above stated groups are those still doing the continuing violence in the country and energizing the civil war which causes a lot of tragedy and massacres among Somalis particularly the innocent people.

As matter-of-fact, media is one of the five figures which is taking part the violence in the country since 1991 from the overthrow of President Siad Barre regime. In general speaking there was two radio stations in the country when the first warlords taking shape namely Ali Mahdi Mohamed who controlled the northern part of the capital Mogadishu and General Mohamed Farah Aided, who controlled the southern part of the city.

 The two radios are named Radio Voice of people which was stationed in the former Radio Mogadishu the other one which was called Radio of Somali Republic-SSA

Each one of that radios supported and exaggerated the policy and interest of the said two warlords: Ali Mahdi and Aided.

During that political competition between Ali and Aided there was also independent newspapers named Shebelle press, Xog-ogaal, Qaran press and so on. Apart from the competition between those two leaders there was also ethnic competition between the Somali journalists who worked under the two different political visions that the two radios at the meantime there was even a competition between the independent newspapers.

Late this leadership competition between Ali and Aided there was also another radio named Radio Voice of Peace rebuilding and led by former warlord Osman Hassan Ali known as “Osman Atto” who is right now a member of Somali parliament TFG.

Although most of the Somali independent newspapers play vital role for peace rebuilding at that time and attracted the public attention for peace rebuilding effort they were also highlighted the humanitarian crisis in the country during the civil war.

Journalism is a two edged weaponry!! 

The knife it’s easy to use each side and it can do trouble or grave problem against people and it can develop people or create peace and democracy it depends for those using it.

from 1999 an independent radio stations has emerged which was really became a new revolution of press freedom, freedom of expression and speech as well as the coming of that radio stations caused new vision from the people and they succeeded to make social change and development in terms of business, communications, Education, eradicating mortal diseases like HIV-Aids, Tuberculoses (TB) and Malaria, protecting environment and keeping the health as well as hygiene. 

Although Somali independent media was doing all that important work which is really vital role according to humanitarian issues, human rights and social development there was a gap and problems that they did since 1999 until now.

Why SOJRA blamed the independent media that they did violence from 1999 until now?

SOJRA reviewed the current media stations which are active how they work and who is leading or who are the owners of these media stations and leant that most of independent media owners are not well experienced persons to manage media outlet and Most of them are not professionals and SOJRA divided them into three categories;

·         Part of the media owners is business people whose aim is to make money benefits and supporting their tribal policy and do an advertisement for their own individual business agenda. 

·         There are also some media owners who were independent gangsters or militia leader such as warlord.

·         The professional media owners who are rare in the field has also two aims the first one is creating economy and the second one is to be active policy maker or looking for political leadership for using the energy of his media station. 

While this problem is existing, you can see the difference and understand that Somali media stations currently working are mostly neither moderate nor democratic once. As well as its common that Somali media doing higher exaggeration at the fighting news and the other news which can create political sensitive that can cause new violence and confrontations between the clans whether  its political or tribal groups.

The other thing which is common inside Somali media field is using the stereotype interview from the policy makers and traditional elders as well as in the public talk shows. That can cause violence.

However, SOJRA would like to say the independent and under government media are among the the violators so that the international community must be take at immediate action that they make sure for the responsibility of developing the independent media or give them a training for understanding media proficiency to the media owners to change their performance and philosophy.

Conclusion the Somali Journalists’ Rights Agency (SOJRA) calls on the international community to step up their efforts and insure the development of Somali media particularly the media owners otherwise Somalia will not get back again powerful government and the people will not trust any outcome of any Reconciliation conferences/meetings in the future or current.

SOJRA has two main sectors which are always straggling the monitoring, observations and evaluation of the situation of Somali journalists and media professionals one is named SOMOS ( SOJRA monitoring and observation sector ) while the other sector named SOMES ( SOJRA monitoring and evaluation sector ).

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