Monitor ISSUE 29
Somalia raises stakes on media in anti-terror campaign In a drive to counter the ideologies and radicalisation methods used by jihadists in Somalia, the country’s president announced in August 2022 that all necessary means would be used to counter the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab group, including targeting its propaganda outlets, Somalia specialist Abdi Dahir writes. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took power in May 2022 after a protracted electoral process. It was characterised by intense political rivalries that were exploited by jihadists to sow discord amongst politicians and the armed forces and to terrorise the public.
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Mohamud previously served as president from 2012-2017. He returns with promises of peace and a fierce campaign against al-Shabab, which now controls much of southern Somalia and has a presence across the East Africa region.
In December, Mohamud told African leaders in Washington that his administration was raising public awareness of the dangers of al-Shabab’s ideologies, and mobilising communities to counter the group’s narratives and radicalisation methods. Not only is the media being aggressively harnessed for counternarratives against jihadism, there is also a fierce crackdown on proShabab media, which the Information Ministry says is part of "an all-out war" against the group.
MOHAMED DAHIR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Journalists struggle to preserve press freedom while also trying to stay safe
The new measures are a double-edged sword for Somali journalists
MONITORING.BBC.CO.UK
For journalists, the “all-out-war” can be a double-edged sword. The government’s recent ban on covering the group’s activities has raised concern about press freedom in a country that has traditionally ranked poorly on global media freedom indices. At the same time, journalists face threats from al-Shabab for upholding the ban.