US unhappy over Somalia FM station closures

Mogadishu - The transitional government accused the three stations of backing what it called terrorists and their actions, and said that the stations had breached the ‘rules of the free media, confused the Somali population and opposed the existence of the Somalia government'.

It is the third time these same three radios have been ordered to shut down as the Somali government accused them of exaggerating the government and Ethiopian military operations in the Somali capital. Previously they were closed in January and March this year.

On receipt of the decree Horn Afrik and IQK went off air immediately while Shabelle Media Network, which received the decree a little later, stayed on air until then and then closed.

A fourth station, Radio Warsanm in Baidoa, a farming town about 200km north-west of the capital, Mogadishu, was closed two days ago after the local government administration in the town issued a decree to that effect.

Abdi Qeybded, the head of the Somali national police force, said the station managements can contact the government officials assigned to deal with these issues, but says he hopes that the stations would abide by the government orders.

US, IFJ concerned

Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, said the US government was concerned about the closure of the three Somali radio stations.

'The freedom of the media is absolutely essential in Somalia and everywhere else in the world and it is important that the Somali media be allowed to inform the Somali people the developments in an objective way,' he said.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has also expressed its concern, saying that the Somalia government must put end to its policy of media harassment and intimidation.

'We condemn this continuous harassment by the Somali government on media who try to work independently,' said Gabriel Baglo, the IFJ Africa Office Director. 'We call on the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union to work with our colleagues to ensure the Somali Transitional Federal Government puts an end to this intimidation and continuous attacks on press freedom.'