Somalia: IPI demands a thorough
investigation into the killing of journalist Amun Abdullahi Mohamed
Journalist Amun Abdullahi, 49, shot
dead in Afgoye, Somalia on October 18, 2024
The IPI global network strongly condemns
the killing of award-winning Somali-Swedish journalist Amun Abdullahi Mohamed,
who was murdered on October 18 by two gunmen with reported ties to the
insurgent group Al-Shabab. This is the second journalist to be killed in
Somalia this year, including Somali National Television journalist Abdikarin
Ahmed Bulhan, killed on March 13 by a security guard. We urge the authorities
to conduct a thorough investigation into her killing and to hold all
perpetrators accountable for this heinous crime.
Reports indicate that there is no known
motive for the shooting. However, the area where she was killed has a history
of attacks by Al-Shabab. According to reports, Somali authorities have
initiated an investigation into her murder. However, at the time of this
publication, police have not made any arrests or provided updates on the
investigation’s status.
Mohamed was a prominent journalist known
for exposing extremism and the activities of Al-Shabab through her
investigative reporting. After seeking asylum in Sweden in 1992, Mohamed worked
for Radio Sweden’s Somali language department, where she reported on
Al-Shabab’s recruitment efforts and highlighted extremist activities in the
suburbs of Stockholm. Later, she resettled in Abdula Biroole, a small village
in the Afgoye district, located 40 km southwest of the capital of Mogadishu.
“We are deeply saddened by the killing of journalist Amun Abdullahi Mohamed and demand a thorough and independent investigation and also the prosecution of the perpetrators,” Nompilo Simanje, IPI Advocacy and Partnership Lead, said. “Failure to finalize the investigation and prosecute the perpetrators creates a dangerous environment for media freedom in the country and a culture of impunity.”
Before returning to Somalia, Mohamed’s 2009 investigation revealed Al-Shabab’s recruitment of young people from Stockholm. Her independent journalism drew national attention, along with threats and hostility from her community. Nevertheless, her fearless commitment to truth and her exposés of extremism earned her public recognition, including the Publicist Club’s Freedom of Speech Award and a nomination for Sweden’s prestigious Guldspaden journalism award in 2010.
Concerns over press freedom remain high, as impunity for crimes against journalists grows. Numerous journalists have been killed in Somalia due to their work, and many others face threats, physical assaults, and illegal arrests as a result of their independent journalism and criticism of authorities.
According to the local press defense group, Somali Media Freedom Defender, between 2009 and 2024, at least five journalists have been killed in the Lower Shabelle region, considered to be the most affected region by the Al-Shabab group, including the case of Mohamed, with little progress e to bring those accountable to justice.
Recently, IPI reiterated its call for authorities to put an end to the harassment, threats, and violence faced by journalists from both the Somali government and Al-Shabab, amid various other threats to press freedom.
Source:- IPI
