• + Comment now
• Print
• Email
• Tweet
• Reset

Representatives from the Somali media, the National Union of Somali Journalists and the Ministry of Information issued a joint communiqué on Thursday (May 3rd) to mark World Press Day, in which they agreed to advance press freedoms.

Following a meeting between journalists and ministry representatives, the parties resolved that "the media has an important role to play in strengthening the peace and promoting respect for the rule of law, especially in this critical period throughout post-transition".

The union also demanded the government provide more protection for journalists. Five reporters have been killed in Somalia this year, the most recent on Wednesday in Galkayo.

Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia Ambassador Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra congratulated Somali journalists for their integral role in promoting peace. "It is encouraging to know the high level of dedication and enthusiasm being displayed by journalists in Somalia despite the dangerous environment in which they operate," he said in a statement.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed outrage over the increasing number of journalists killed while doing their work.

"Impunity for those who attack or threaten journalists remains disturbingly prevalent; including for assaults carried out in broad daylight, delivering the most brutal of messages," Ban said at the UN headquarters in New York.