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October 12, 2012
Eighteen journalists have been killed so far this year by bombs and gunmen, illustrating why press rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called 2012 the "deadliest year" on record for Somali journalists, surpassing 2009 when nine died.
![Mourners carry the body of Somali journalist Abdisatar Dahir Sabriye who was killed in a double suicide attack at a restaurant September 20th in central Mogadishu. [Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP]](/shared/images/2012/10/12/timeline-somali-journalists.jpg)
Mourners carry the body of Somali journalist Abdisatar Dahir Sabriye who was killed in a double suicide attack at a restaurant September 20th in central Mogadishu. [Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP]
RSF labelled the country such after two suicide bombings killed at least 14 people, including three journalists, and injured 20 others in a restaurant in Mogadishu on September 20th. A week later, two more Somali journalists were killed in the capital city.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the new Somali government to order an investigation into the killing of journalists.
"Somalia's journalists have long topped the lists of targets by all sides during the country's brutal civil war," Leslie Lefkow, deputy director of HRW's Africa division, said September 24th. "The new Somali president can act to end this horrific pattern by ordering prompt and serious investigations into these killings."
This is not the first time RSF has called attention to the violence against journalists in Somalia. In 2011, it labelled Somalia the deadliest nation in Africa for journalists, adding that 25 journalists were killed in Somalia from 2007-2011.
January 28th: Unknown gunmen shot and killed Hassan Osman Abdi, known as Hassan Fantastic, near his residence in the Wadajir district, south of Mogadishu. He was the director of the independent Shabelle Media Network. Then-President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed suggested that al-Shabaab was responsible for Abdi's death.
February 28th: Unknown gunmen shot and killed Abukar Hassan Kadaf, former director of Radio Somaliweyn, outside his home in Mogadishu.
March 4th: Journalist Ali Ahmed Abdi was shot and killed in the northern Galkayo region as he headed home from his job at Radio Galkayo.
April 5th: Unknown assailants shot dead Mahad Salad Adan in Beledweyne, editor of the Voice of Hiran local radio station and a reporter for Mogadishu-based Radio Shabelle. He had reported on clashes between al-Shabaab and the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa.
May 3rd: Masked gunmen shot and killed Farhan Jeemis Abdulle, Radio Daljir reporter in Galkayo, as he headed home.
May 24th: Unknown assailants gunned down Ahmed Addow Anshur of Shabelle Media Network near his home in Mogadishu's Dharkenley district.
July 7th: Abdikadir Omar Abdulle, a journalist with privately owned Universal TV, was shot four times by unidentified gunmen near his home in Mogadishu's Madina district, but survived.
July 31st: Somali journalist and comedian Abdi Maleq Jeylani, known as Marshale, was fatally shot outside his home in Mogadishu's Waberi district. Jeylani worked at several radio and television stations, taking part in dramas critical of al-Shabaab.
August 12th: Veteran journalist and Somali Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications media relations manager Yusuf Ali Osman was gunned down by an unidentified man in Dharkenley district.
Voice of Democracy Radio journalist Mohamud Beneyste, 22, was killed later in the day while taking photographs near Mogadishu Stadium.
September 16th: Unidentified gunmen killed Freelance cameraman Zakariye Mohamed Mohamud Moallim in Mogadishu.
September 20th: Two suicide bombings killed at least 14 people, and injured 20 others in a restaurant in Mogadishu. Three journalists were killed in the attack: Liban Ali Nur, head of the news department at Somali National Television; Abdisatar Dahir Sabriye, Somali National Television's head of programming; and Abdirahman Yasin, director of independent radio station Voice of Democracy.
A fourth journalist, Hassan Yusuf Absuge of independent Radio Maanta, was later shot dead after working on a report about the suicide attack.
September 27th: The beheaded body of sports journalist Abdirahman Mohamed Ali was found in Mogadishu's Huriwa district. Ali had been abducted by armed men from a house near the Meat Market earlier that day. He worked for the sports news website Ciyaaraha Maanta.
September 28th: Unidentified gunmen shot and killed Ahmed Abdulahi Fanah, a 32-year-old reporter working for a Yemeni news agency, in Dharkenley district.
October 21st: Two unknown gunmen shot Shabelle Media Network journalist Mohamed Mohamud Tuuryare in the chest as he left a mosque in Mogadishu after evening prayers. Tuuryare died from his wounds at a Mogadishu hospital on October 28th.
October 23rd: Gunmen shot dead Ahmed Farah Ilyas of London-based independent Universal TV in the northern town of Las Anod.
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![Police officers with police dogs face demonstrators in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighbourhood on November 19, 2012, a day after a bomb exploded in a minibus, killing seven. [Carl de Souza/AFP]](/shared/images/2013/05/10/kenya-police-nairobi-100_67.jpg)
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Reader's Comments
they are the eyes ofd a society but corrupt and dose who stand for no changd Kill them .am also fearing da same wll happen 2 me . Alka Nairobi kenya
I strongly condemn these murderers, because they bring shame to our continent. Surely they are much worse than colonialists and will never enjoy here in the world nor in heaven.
I am sorry about the killing of the Somali journalists.
I am saying this is a plan to eliminate those people who are the eyes of the media and the society. Therefore this clearly indicates elimination of the best people by people by bad people who view them as barrier to their selfish interest.
I sincerely think this is the biggest miracle that has ever happened in Somalia. As the citizens of Somalia this has actually worried us and I would like to urge those people killing the journalists to stop the killings of innocent journalists.
I am sorry about the killings of Somalia journalists.I pray to God that the killings stops immediately.I appeal to the general public to safeguard the security of every individual in Somalia.
I am sorry about what is happening in Somalia.
I am wondering with these people who are killing innocent, unarmed, harmless persons who are going about earning their daily bread. what shocks me further is, what could these people gain from killing a Muslim whose killing has been prohibited to us by God? I say that these killers are mercenaries hired by the Jews.
I am not saddened by your death. i know that is obligatory because everything that sees you need to know that it must return to ALLAH but those who turn off the light or illumination, the lord will curse you and repay you here on earth those of you who died are fighters and defenders of the rights of the weak you are the voice of the voiceless
As Abdikadir Jama I think this is a misfortune that has befallen the Somali people and it is a problem that cannot be solved.
I pray to God to reward those journalists killed in Somalia for no reason, with His paradise; Fardowsa and punish those who have killed the journalists because they were killed for no reason. If there could be no journalists, we could not get information. Journalists are the eyes of the society and they try their best to serve the general interest of the society.
It is really saddening for someone serving both the people and the country to be killed in this trying moments. I and all my allies are sorry about the problems meted against the journalist of Somalia. Journalists should be protected because they are eyes of the society. I wish you long life in wherever you may live. This issue will come to an end and anyone who wronged the Somali journalists will be hold accountable, God willing.
I swear I feel sorry about the journalists killed in their country when they have have done nothing and they were writing what was there in their country. This is really a saddening issue that saddens every Muslim. I would like to say never get in to hell-fire for killing someone who has done nothing as my brotherly advice. May God protect journalists.
It is actually a saddening thing the killings of Somali journalists who have been remembered here and it is really painful to the Somali media fraternity and to all the Somali youth but thanks to God if those who killed many people who were dear to the Somali people were eliminated.
Yes. That is right and I am truly sorry about it.
God is good. May God have mercy on them. Secondly, journalists are killed for the truth they reveal to the citizens. They are simply killed for that reason. Those who kill or injure Somali journalists, I think are those who knows nothing about the rights of the journalists. Oh, God put a government that will protect their rights of the journalists in place. Amen oh God.
Peace and blessings of God be on you. That is great. MAY GOD have mercy on those who they have killed for no reason and also the journalists working for the citizens of Somalia. If I express my view they kill the journalists for the true report they pass to the citizens of Somalia. Therefore those who kill the journalists are those who don't want the citizens to be sensitized and who wants to colonize the citizens and shed their blood. Oh, God have mercy on them and put them in your paradise. May God bring a government that will protect the rights of journalists or advocates for them. Amen, Oh God.
Killings of Somali journalists is really a saddening thing and we will not tolerate with it as the people of Somalia who are patriots.
May God have mercy on the Somali journalists.
First, the year 2012 was a year in which a war was wedged against the the Somali journalists. I would like to say if God has given a new government to my Somali brothers; the elected government and the public in general to collaborate and search for those who were behind these issues. May God make those who were behind the killings of the journalists to be easily identified. Those people who commit the killings are within the country. In conclusion, God will not spare them ,,, BUT HANDS CAN DO WORK EFFECTIVELY WHEN TOGETHER.
In my view, journalists have to be granted their rights in wherever they are because they link the society. May God have mercy on all those who died.
I want a general explanation to this.
It is surely a saddening issue. If I express my view concerning the publicity of this issue I would like to say this issue is very bad. I would like to tell the Somalis to get holds of hands with one another wherever they live so that we can achieve development.
Truth is being concealed. Somalia is a growing tree and I would like to say we should swiftly adopt to democracy. Secondly, I would like to congratulate ourselves as the people of Somaliland.
Journalists are known as the eyes and ears of the community to the people of the world. For this reason it is not good to kill or endanger the lives of journalists. I hope those people suspected to have killed Somali journalists will be brought before a court after the government of Somalia takes full charge of the entire country.
They were killed by an unjust hand, May God have mercy on all the journalists
It is imperative we protect the press people for they are working for the country as well
Whoever kills his hope is like someone who has destroyed his ears and eyes. Fear God oh! people of Somalia
These are many problems
Killing of journalists demonstrates rejection of the truth. I would like to tell those people who acquired arms to eliminate the journalists that will never be possible and they should know that. Somali journalists are increasing and if one dies another one is born, God willing. Those ignorant killing Somali journalists have to live in fear.
Those who killed journalist wil be counted Almighty God one of find days inshalah.
Somalia people y slain ur brothers,remember to forgive and forget, rebuild urself ad move forward.RABI BLESS U.
its not about the journalists.. Its the somali people that have had a bad lifestyle over years so you dont expect them to pity anyone.. The life one has gone through determines alot on how he relates himself with his new environment ...they shoud be taken with alot of caution
Many Journalists were killed in Somalia while they were on line of duty and serving the public with the accurate news concerning the political developments of Somalia.
why is the media nosy? cant u just mind ure business? somalia has its own reports and people, why crave for what aint ures?
I think journalists should be appreciated.
2012 was dark year of somali journalist