{"id":10912,"date":"2026-05-03T06:23:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T06:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.onkodradio.com\/?p=68"},"modified":"2026-05-07T14:29:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:29:26","slug":"wpfd-2026-press-freedom-under-strain-in-somalia-and-somaliland-amid-political-and-security-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onkodradio.staging.ileysinc.com\/en\/wpfd-2026-press-freedom-under-strain-in-somalia-and-somaliland-amid-political-and-security-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"WPFD 2026: Press Freedom under strain in Somalia and Somaliland amid political and security tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

MOGADISHU, Somalia 3 May 2026 \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>As the world marks World Press Freedom Day today, journalists and media outlets in Somalia are facing an increasingly volatile and restrictive environment, particularly as Somalia enters a critical period marked by political uncertainty and tensions surrounding upcoming elections.<\/p>\n

Already operating under difficult conditions, media professionals in Somalia and Somaliland are confronting a surge in arbitrary arrests, threats, and intimidation by state authorities. This has created a climate of fear that undermines their ability to report freely and limits the public\u2019s access to information\u2014rights guaranteed under both Somalia and Somaliland constitutions.<\/p>\n

Since January 2026, the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) has documented at least 18 violations against journalists, including the killing of a reporter in Kismayo. Local journalist\u00a0Abshir Khalif Shidane<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was shot dead on 2 March 2026 by a Jubaland police officer, marking the first journalist killed in Somalia this year. A suspect has been\u00a0arrested<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and remains in detention awaiting trial.<\/p>\n

Other violations include restricted access to information, arbitrary arrests, threats, torture, confiscation of equipment, attacks on media houses, and kidnappings. Most cases have been reported in Mogadishu and Baidoa, where key electoral processes are expected to take place. Security forces\u2014including police, intelligence, and special units\u2014have intensified actions against journalists covering sensitive topics such as insecurity, forced evictions, land disputes, and political tensions.<\/p>\n

Several journalists have been directly targeted. Mogadishu-based journalist\u00a0Abdihafid Nor Barre<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was abducted twice this year, including one instance in which he was held in a military facility without charge. On 18 March 2026,\u00a0two female journalists<\/strong><\/a>\u2014Amiro Sulaiman Ibrahim (Kaab TV) and Iqro Abdullahi Abdirahman (Five Somali TV)\u2014were violently arrested while reporting on forced evictions in Mogadishu. Iqro was beaten before being forced into a police vehicle.<\/p>\n

The situation has further deteriorated with new censorship measures imposed by authorities. On 16 April, the Southwest State Minister of Security\u00a0announced<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0a ban on reporting insecurity, terrorist attacks, clan conflicts, and criticism of federal and regional officials. These restrictions come amid heightened tensions in Baidoa, where\u00a0violence<\/strong><\/a>, political disputes, and\u00a0attacks<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0by Al-Shabaab have been reported.<\/p>\n

In Mogadishu, on 15 April 2026, the Banadir Regional Police Commander\u00a0warned<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0journalists against discussing the \u201cend of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud\u2019s term\u201d or criticizing recent constitutional amendments, threatening to label violators as \u201ccriminals<\/strong><\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Journalists in other regions have also faced repression. In Laascaanood, Abdiqani Abdirahman Mohamed was\u00a0arrested<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on 26 March for publishing an interview on political tensions and was later released after being forced to apologize. Another journalist, Abdirisaq Abdirahman (\u201cKobciye\u201d), was\u00a0detained<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in February and compelled to delete a video report.<\/p>\n