Africa Review
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
According
to a witness, Al-Shabaab militants stormed the premises of Radio Afgoye
and seized most of the equipment before taking with them radio
journalist Ayub Yusuf Dalmar.
"Nobody knows where the reporter and
the equipment ended up," said the resident of Afgoye town, some 30
kilometres south of Mogadishu and who sought anonymity as he feared
reprisals.
Neither the management nor the Al-Shabaab authorities have issued a statement yet but locals said the media outlet may have been taken over due to content deemed unfavourable to the embattled Islamist group. The group has a history of forcibly taking over independent media outlets in Somalia.
Afgoye has recently borne the brunt of restrictive Al-Shabaab pronouncements. The militants last month ordered tutors of Quran (religious) schools in the town to suspend teachings and attend a seminar on the spiritual value of jihad (holy war).
Jihad
The group recently declared jihad on Kenya after Kenyan troops crossed into Somalia in late October. However, moderate Islamic leaders including the Supreme Religious Council in Somalia dismiss the notion that jihad is taking place in Somalia.
Al-Shabaab has according to reports also ordered communication firms in southern and central Somalia to restrict mobile phone money transfer transactions.
The fresh order followed an earlier one lowering money handled through phone from $250 to $150 at a time. The restrictions affect Hormuud Telecom and Nationlink Telecom which respectively provide popular services known as EVC-Plus and Emaal.
An Al-Shabaab statement added that the world was currently undergoing hardship and cited lack of adherence to Islamic economic procedures.
"The ongoing economic hardship is caused by people refraining from using Islamic economic systems,” said the statement.
In October 2010, Al-Shabaab banned the use of Mobile Money Transfer (MMT) services under the brand names ZAAD and SAHAL.
"This service is manipulated by Western powers and is injurious to the economy of the Muslim people,” it stated. The services could handle as much as $700 at a time.