Nairobi — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Somali authorities to investigate the killing of journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabashe in a March 18 bombing by the militant group Al Shabaab in the capital Mogadishu and allow journalists to do their jobs without fear of reprisal.
"Mohamed Abukar Dabashe's death is devastating. Unfortunately, he joins a long list of Somali journalists killed in Al-Shabaab attacks with impunity," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. "Somali authorities should investigate the killing of Mohamed Abukar Dabashe and desist from further intimidation and censorship of journalists who are already operating under difficult circumstances."
Mohamed Abukar's body was found in a collapsed building, where he is reported to have lived, near the attack site. He worked with Risaala Media Corporation until 2023, and had recently been publishing his journalism on Facebook and the YouTube news channel Sirta Waraka, Risaala's director Mohamed Abduwahab Abdullahi told CPJ.
Armed police raided Risaala's offices about 20 minutes after it broadcast footage of the explosion site, ordered its radio and television channels off air, and arrested reporters Ali Abdullahi Ibrahim and Hamda Hassan Ahmed; camera operators Mohamed Said Nur and Abdullahi Sharif Ali; and technician Liban Abdullahi Hassan, according to Mohamed Abduwahab, who is also secretary general of the Somali Media Association, and a statement by the Somali Journalists Syndicate rights group.
The journalists were detained for about two hours at a police station, where they were warned not to broadcast such content, and released without charge. Risaala had resumed operations by the evening.
Police also briefly detained at least 17 other journalists at the attack site and questioned them at a local station about their coverage, three journalists familiar with the incident, who are not being named due to safety concerns, told CPJ.
Police spokesperson Abdifatah Adan Hassan told CPJ by phone that police were trying to verify the identities of journalists at the site but did not make any arrests and that Risaala staff were asked to leave their office for safety.
CPJ's calls to request comment from information minister Daud Aweis were not answered.
