April 23, 2013 | Morning Headlines.
Somalia offers reward for journalist killer
22 Apr – Source: VOA News – 119 words
Somalia’s prime minister has called on police and security forces to hunt down the killers of a state broadcaster. Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh was shot and killed by unknown assailants near his home in the capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday evening. Rageh, who worked for Somali National Television and Radio Mogadishu, is the fourth journalist killed in Somalia this year, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists. In a statement, Somali Prime Minister Abdi Shirdon called on police and security forces to “spare no effort” in their hunt to find his killers.
Key Headlines
- Internal security minister: we have stopped several attacks organized by al Shabaab (Shabelle)
- Hiiraan Administration arrest men suspected to be members of al Shabaab (Shabelle)
- Puntland president meets with senior UN official in Garowe (Raxanreeb)
- France condemns killing of another journalist in Somalia (KUNA News)
- Garissa security chiefs interdicted over crime wave (KBC)
PRESS STATEMENT
Prime Minister calls on security forces and police to bring journalist killer to justice
22 Apr – Source: Prime Minister’s Media Office – 169 words
His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon today paid tribute to the role of journalists in Somalia following the murder of Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh, a broadcaster for Radio Mogadishu and Somali National Television, in Mogadishu on Sunday.
“I am deeply saddened to learn the news that this brave journalist was killed by a cowardly murderer or gang of murderers and I send my heartfelt condolences to his family. Journalists in Somalia perform the most extraordinary work in an exceptionally challenging environment and this is a dark day.”
Earlier this year the Prime Minister said the government would provide a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of any person for killing a journalist.
“The only fitting response to this outrage is to ensure that the journalist’s killer or killers are brought to justice for this criminal act and I call on the police and security forces to spare no effort in their manhunt,” the Prime Minister said.
SRSG Mahiga’s statement on killing of journalist
22 Apr – Source: UNPOS – 150 words
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Dr. Augustine P. Mahiga is shocked and saddened by the killing of Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh, a journalist working with Radio Mogadishu and Somali National Television who was shot and killed yesterday evening in Mogadishu.
“I condemn yet another appalling attack on Somali journalists and call on the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice”, SRSG Mahiga said. He further noted that four journalists were killed since the beginning of the year adding to the 18 that were killed in 2012.
The SRSG extends his condolences to Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh’s family, friends and to the Somali media community.
“Somali journalists will keep exercising their profession, which is the backbone of any peacebuilding efforts and sustainable democracy. The international community will stand by them and is ready to assist the Government in its ongoing efforts to put an end to impunity,” SRSG Mahiga added.
Ambassador Matt Baugh condemns murder of Somali journalist Mohamed Ibrahim
22 Apr – Source: British Office for Somalia – 113 words
It is very sad to hear about the murder of yet another journalist in Mogadishu. On behalf of the British government, I send my deepest condolence to the family and friends of Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh. I call upon the Somali authorities to ensure those responsible for this senseless murder are brought to justice”
Ambassador Matt Baugh said;
“A free press is critical to the future of Somalia. Journalists in Somalia should be able to operate without fear of their lives,”
The journalist, who was working for the Somali National TV and Radio Mogadishu , was killed by gunmen on Sunday. His death brings to four the number of journalists killed in Somalia this year.
Statement by the EU Special Envoy to Somalia on the killing of senior journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh
22 Apr – Source: Office of the EU – 208 words
The EU Special Envoy to Somalia, Michele Cervone d’Urso, condemns the brutal assassination of Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh, senior journalist and reporter of Radio Mogadishu and Somali National Television (SNTV), on 21 April in Mogadishu. He expresses his sincere condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh.
Rage is the fourth journalist to be killed in Somalia this year. It follows a macabre series of targeted attacks against media workers over the last two years and it sadly shows that Somalia remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists to operate in. The EU Special Envoy calls upon the Government of Somalia to take immediate action to improve security of media workers and to operationalise the announced Task Force on the investigation of the killings of journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In carrying out their task in informing the Somali public, journalists are actively participating in the building of a free and democratic Somali society. Failure to protect media workers puts at risk the freedom of expression, one of the fundamental Human Rights, and therefore impedes Somalia’s reconstruction. The European Union stands ready to support the Government of Somalia in guaranteeing the safety of journalists and addressing press freedom violations as a whole.
SOMALI MEDIA
Defense minister answers parliamentaries’ questions
22 Apr – Source: Radio Kulmiye/RBC – 128 words
Somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Haji Mohamud Fiqi denied allegations against his ministry during a parliamentary questioning on Monday, RC Radio reports. The minister who faced tough inquiry from members of Somalia’s federal parliament rejected most of the allegations against the government forces that were put into the five questions he responded to during the inquiry. The minister highlighted several key issues concerning the country’s security and the National Security and Stabilization Program [NSSP].
Al Shabaab blamed for killing a journalist in Somalia
22 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb/Shabelle – 160 words
Somali government officials and colleagues of the assassinated journalist blamed al Shabaab militants in Somalia for the murdering of the journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Raage, RBC Radio reports. Late Mohamed Ibrahim Raage [better known as Honest] was shot to death by unknown assailants late on Sunday in front of his home in Dharkenley neighborhood in Mogadishu after he returned from his daily work shift at Radio Mogadishu, the state-run radio where the journalist was working. He is the fourth journalist murdered this year.
Internal security minister: we have stopped several attacks organized by al Shabaab
22 Apr – Source: Shabelle – 114 words
The Internal Security Minister was summoned by the parliament yesterday and informed parliamentarians that security officials have stopped several attacks organized by al Shabaab in the capital. The minister said that the attacks stopped by the government included planned attacks on neighboring countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya. Mr. Abdi Kariin Hussein Guled also said that the government will not entertain illegal road barriers along the roads leading to lower Shabelle region.
Hiiraan Administration arrest men suspected to be members of al Shabaab
22 Apr – Source: Radio Shabelle – 102 words
Deputy Commander for Security in Hiiraan region Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim who contacted Shabelle radio confirmed that men who were suspected to be members of al Shabaab were arrested in a security operation. The security official confirmed that 6 men were arrested during an operation and an investigation will be conducted if the arrested men are associated with members of the outlawed group.
Puntland president meets with senior UN official in Garowe
22 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb/Garowe Online – 73 words
Puntland president Dr. Abdurrahman Sh. Mohammad Farole met last night with the United Nations’ newly appointed humanitarian envoy to Somalia Mr. Philippe Lazzarini. Representatives from UNDP and UNOCHA were also present at the meeting. Other authorities from Puntland including the vice-president and some members of the cabinet also attended the meeting. It’s said that the reason behind Mr. Philippe Lazzarini’s visit was to oversee different projects undertaken by the UN in Puntland.
REGIONAL MEDIA
France condemns killing of another journalist in Somalia
22 Apr – Source: KUNA News – 137 words
The French government on Monday strongly condemned the assassination of another Somali journalist, confirming an ongoing pattern of attacks that has made Somalia one of the most dangerous places in the world for the working press. Fifty radio, TV and written press correspondents have been killed in Somalia in the past two decades or so, according to the International Committee to Project Journalists and in 2012, Reporters Without Borders designated Somalia as the most deadly place for journalists to work after 18 press professionals died there.
Garissa security chiefs interdicted over crime wave
22 Apr – Source: KBC – 143 words
The government has overhauled security apparatus in Northeastern following spate of killings in the region the latest being the shooting of 10 people in a local eatery. Letters of interdiction of top security officers believed to be culpable in the crime wave that has rocked the area are set to be dispatched from Nairobi Monday as police move to clear the rot that has seen criminal elements infiltrate security teams.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia offers reward for journalist killer
22 Apr – Source: VOA News – 119 words
Somalia’s prime minister has called on police and security forces to hunt down the killers of a state broadcaster. Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh was shot and killed by unknown assailants near his home in the capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday evening. Rageh, who worked for Somali National Television and Radio Mogadishu, is the fourth journalist killed in Somalia this year, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists. In a statement, Somali Prime Minister Abdi Shirdon called on police and security forces to “spare no effort” in their hunt to find his killers.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The new documentary, which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, captures the perils of enlisting local fighters to take on more sophisticated menaces.”
In ‘The Project,’ the Stormy Battle to Take On Somali Pirates
22 Apr- Source: Daily Beast-818 Words
The documentary The Project, shown this week at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, gives a glimpse into one future for the war on terrorism. The film documents the creation of the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) to hunt the pirates that have menaced the coastal waters of Somalia in recent years. But the mission is very similar to the large-scale counterinsurgencies America fought in Iraq and is still fighting in Afghanistan. Train the locals to fight the bad guys, so the Westerners don’t have to fight them. But whereas the programs to train Iraq’s military and the Afghan police force required at the peak tens of thousands of Americans, the PMPF had only a few dozen South African ex-special operations officers funded by the United Arab Emirates.