JOURNALIST KILLED IN SOMALI CAPITAL; 5TH THIS YEAR

Mogadishu, 13 Jumadil Akhir 1434/22 April 2013 (MINA) – A Somali journalist was killed by unidentified gunmen in Mogadishu on Sunday (21/4), the fifth reporter to be murdered in the war-ravaged capital this year, the nation’s journalism union said.

“The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns in the strongest terms possible the murder of the Somali journalist who was killed by armed assailants near his home in Mogadishu’s Dharkenley district,” the Union said in a statement, according to a report from the Daily News monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

The victim was Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh, who worked for Somali National Television and Radio Mogadishu. He was killed by unknown assailants as he returned home after work, according to Abdirahim Isse Addow, director of Radio Mogadishu, who was quoted by the National Union of Somali Journalists.

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Somalia is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work. Last year, 18 media workers were killed, most in targeted killings. The government has vowed to stop attacks against journalists, but so far little action has been taken.

In January, a journalist for Mogadishu’s Radio Shabelle was also shot dead. In March, a suicide car bomber targeting Mogadishu’s intelligence chief killed six people, including a radio reporter, while a female radio journalist was fatally shot later that same month. Last week suicide bombers and gunmen attacked Mogadishu’s main court complex, killing 35 people, including one journalist.

Earlier this year, Somalia’s government offered a $50,000 (37,000 euro) reward for information leading to the “successful conviction of a journalist killer”.

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Since then, a first conviction has been made for the killing of a journalist, with a court in Mogadishu sentencing a man to death for the murder of radio reporter Hassan Yusuf Absuge in September 2012.

Somalia has been ravaged by conflict since 1991, but a new UN-backed government took power last year. (T/P07/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)