National Union of Somali Journalists
Press release
Thursday, October 17, 2013
The National Union of Somali Journalists
(NUSOJ) is shocked by the latest violent attack on the media in Puntland
[an autonomous region of Somalia] which involved a double bomb strike
on a private radio station in Galkayo.
According to the information received from Galkayo, gunmen hurled two
hand bombs at Radio Daljir at around 20:00 on 15 October 2013, before
speeding off.
"This is an alarming attack ... against the media in Puntland.
Thankfully no one was hurt, however this could have been so much worse,"
Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General said.
The news director, editors and reporters who were preparing for the
evening broadcast, and a guard were in the station at the time of the
explosion, which destroyed the station's wall and damaged the staff
vehicle. No one was injured.
"[The] daily life [of] a journalist in Somalia, especially in
Galkayo, [the] second deadliest city for journalists in the country,
continues to be a hazardous business, and the Puntland authorities,
including the Mudug administration, must do more to develop a safe
environment for media practitioners," said Osman.
This is not the first time that Radio Daljir and its Galkayo Branch
were attacked. Galkayo journalists have witnessed violent attacks in the
past two years.
NUSOJ believes that people whose interests were threatened due to the radio station's broadcast carried out this attack.
Eyewitness told the union that the perpetrators were riding in sedan
with no plate number. NUSOJ demands a full investigation into the
attack.