 | |
| Country | |
|---|---|
| Availability | 101.5 mhz/Somalia |
| Headquarters | Mogadishu |
| Area | Degmada Hodan, Ex Arwada (Taleeh) |
| Owner | Abdimaalik Yusuf Banna |
Key people | Abuukar Sheikh Mohamud (General Director) [1] |
| Established | 2002 |
Launch date | 6 May 2002 |
Official website | shabellemedia |
Shabelle Media Network (SMN) is a radio and television news organization based in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The Shabelle Media Network was founded in 2002 in Merca, Somalia by a group of young Somali intellectuals. Its mission was to ensure that Somalis around the world remain abreast of developments within the Somali community and in touch with each other. [2]
The network's first phase was focused on airing to Africa, Asia and Australia via Thaicom 3 satellite. In 2005, it expanded to include satellite broadcasts to North America and Europe. [2]
SMN's Radio Shabelle slowly grew to become one of Somalia's most respected privately owned radio stations, [3] airing from 6 a.m. to midnight. [4] It later relocated its headquarters to the national capital, Mogadishu. [2]
Prior to Mogadishu's pacification by the Somali National Army in mid-2011, the independent Radio Shabelle, among other Somali media outlets, was frequently targeted by Islamist militants. [5] Among the casualties during this most volatile 2007-2011 period was Radio Shabelle's acting manager, Bashir Nur Gedi, who was killed on October 19, 2007. In 2009, the station's director Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe was also assassinated. [6]
After their ouster, the insurgents resorted to issuing death threats and targeted assassinations in order to discourage reporting on their activities. [7] Due to frustration at the increasing number of expatriate journalists returning to the capital after the relative improvement in security, the militants in 2012 intensified their anti-media campaign, [8] killing four SMN reporters during the year, including director Hassan Osman Abdi. [9]
Despite the attempted intimidation, journalists have persisted in covering the war beat. [7] Through membership in the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), reporters are also spearheading a governmental initiative to reform the 2007 Somali media law. [10]
SMN broadcasts news, business, analysis, culture and sports items via its radio and television network. It airs its own programs and documentaries through both terrestrial and satellite transmissions. The organization also reports on domestic peace initiatives and conferences, provides a platform for the discussion of issues of interest to the Somali community, and offers call-in services wherein listeners and/or viewers can interact with program participants. [1]
Shabelle Media Network's main target audience is the Somali community, both within the Horn of Africa and abroad. Its broadcasts are also geared toward local policy makers and international stakeholders. [1]
In 2010, Radio Shabelle was awarded the Media of the Year prize by the Paris-based journalism organization, Reporters Without Borders (RSF). [3]
Communications in Somalia encompasses the communications services and capacity of Somalia. Telecommunications, internet, radio, print, television and postal services in the nation are largely concentrated in the private sector. Several of the telecom firms have begun expanding their activities abroad. The federal government operates two official radio and television networks, which exist alongside a number of private and foreign stations. Print media in the country is also progressively giving way to news radio stations and online portals, as internet connectivity and access increases. In 2012, a National Communications Act was also approved by Cabinet members, and 2 October 2017, the president of Somalia Finally signed the National Communications Law, and became the official Law that regulated the ICT industry. Under that Law, National Communications Authority (NCA) of the federal Republic of Somalia has been established, with board of directors and a general manager. Somalia currently is ranked first in Africa for most affordable mobile data per gigabyte and 7th in the world.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is an active, regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It is mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implement a national security plan, train the Somali security forces, and to assist in creating a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian aid. As part of its duties, AMISOM also supports the Federal Government of Somalia's forces in their battle against Al-Shabaab militants.
Even before the beginning of the War in Somalia (2006-2009) there were significant assertions and accusations of the use of disinformation and propaganda tactics, classed as forms of information warfare, by various parties to shape the causes and course of the conflict. These include assertions of falsification of the presence or number of forces involved, exaggeration or minimisation of the casualties inflicted or taken, influence or control of media outlets, and other informational means and media to sway popular support and international opinion.
After two decades of violence and civil war and after the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia captured Mogadishu and Kismayo, the TFG attempted to disarm the militias of the country in late 2006. According to the UN/World Bank's Joint Needs Assessment (JNA) coordination secretariat, "the total estimated number of militias [militia members] to be demobilized is 53,000." In 2005, they estimated that "there are 11-15,000 militia people controlling Mogadishu ."
The timeline of events in the War in Somalia during 2007 is set out below.
Mass media in Somalia includes various radio, television, print and internet outlets. The federal government operates two official radio and TV networks, which exist alongside a number of private and foreign stations. Print media in the country is progressively giving way to news radio stations and online portals, as internet connectivity and access increases. In February 2013, the Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunication also launched a broad-based consultative process for the reformation of media legislation.
Mustafa Haji Abdinur is a Somali journalist and radio correspondent. He was awarded a CPJ International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists in 2009.
The Battle of Mogadishu (2010–11) began on 23 August 2010 when al-Shabaab insurgents began attacking government and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) positions in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab began its offensive after its spokesman said the group was declaring a "massive war" on troops sent by AMISOM, describing its 6,000 peacekeepers as "invaders". In December 2010 the number of AMISOM troops was increased to 8,000 and later to 9,000. The battle's name usually includes the years, when referenced, in order to distinguish it amongst the nine major Battles of Mogadishu during the decades long Somali Civil War.
Radio Mogadishu is the federal government-run radio station of Somalia.
Barkhad Awale Adan, also spelled Burkhat, was a Somali journalist. He was the Director of Radio Hurma, based in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was killed in 2010 by a stray bullet during intensive fighting between Al-Shabaab militants and AMISOM soldiers in the Battle of Mogadishu.
Bashir Nur Gedi was the radio manager and acting director of Radio Shabelle, an independent radio station that regularly ran watchdog reports on government corruption in Mogadishu, Somalia. Gedi was murdered in 2007, though the precise circumstances of his death remains unclear. He was one of several prominent members of the station's leadership killed, including fellow acting media directors, Muktar Mohamed Hirabe and Hassan Osman Abdi. In 2007, he was the eighth journalist killed that year in Somalia.
Abdi Jeylani Malaq Marshale, also known as Abdi Jeylani Malaq or Abdi Jeylani Marshale, was a popular comedian on both radio and TV from Somalia who was targeted by Al-Shabaab militants and later assassinated in Mogadishu.
Abukar Hassan Mohamoud, also known as Kadaf, was a Somali activist and the manager/director for the independent Somaliweyn Radio in Mogadishu, Somalia. At the time of his murder, he had been working on a re-launch of Radio Somaliweyn, which had been attacked and looted by Al-Shabaab in 2010.
HornAfrik was a media organization based in Mogadishu, Somalia. Prior to its closure in 2010, it was the first independent radio network to have its headquarters in the city. HornAfrik operated Radio HornAfrik, as well as one other radio station, a television station, a website and a training research center.
Ali Iman Sharmarke was a Somali-Canadian journalist, civil servant and philanthropist. He was a co-founder of HornAfrik Media Inc, the first independent radio network to have its headquarters in Mogadishu, Somalia. In 2007, he was killed by a roadside bomb. Sharmarke was posthumously awarded the CJFE's International Press Freedom Award and Tara Singh Hayer Award for his journalistic work. His family also established the Sharmarke Peace Foundation in his memory.
HornAfrik Media Inc, a defunct news organization based in Mogadishu, was subjected to various attacks by militants during the Islamist insurgency (2006-2009) in southern Somalia. Prior to the company's closure in 2010, these incidents included:
Sagal Salad Osman, also known as Sagal Osman,, a Somali producer and journalist for Radio Mogadishu in Mogadishu, Somalia, was the second female journalist killed within six months in Somalia, one of the most deadly countries for journalists. It is believed that Al-Shabaab, a militant group who is connected to Al-Qaeda, is responsible for her death.
This is a 2018 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
Despite the “vibrant media culture” in Somalia – which hosts more than 90 media outlets and scores of websites and blogs – numerous violations aimed at journalists and political leaders are documented, including killings, attacks, arbitrary arrests and detention, intimidation, harassment, closure of media outlets, confiscation of equipment and blocking of websites.