VZCZCXRO5208
OO RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #1160 1611140
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101140Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9787
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA  IMMEDIATE
RUZEFAA/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE IMMEDIATE
RUZEFAA/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE IMMEDIATE
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001160 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E AND A/S CARSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM KPAO SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - JOURNALISTS STOP WORK TO PROTEST LACK OF 
SAFETY 
 
REF: NAIROBI 1133 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU) Twenty Somali journalists in Mogadishu have stopped 
working to protest the continuously deteriorating security 
situation for media practitioners in Somalia, especially in 
the capital.  They announced the suspension on June 9, two 
days after the murder of Radio Shabelle Director Mukhtar 
Hirabe (reftel).  Hirabe was the fifth journalists killed 
this year in Somalia, considered by some to be second only to 
Iraq in terms of dangerous environments for journalists.  End 
summary. 
 
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Work Stoppage 
to Protest Violence 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Two days after the June 7 murder of Radio Shabelle 
Director Mukhtar Hirabe (reftel), Somali journalists in 
Mogadishu announced a suspension of work to protest the 
continuously deteriorating security situation for media 
practitioners in Somalia.  Hirabe was the fifth Somali 
journalist to be killed in Somalia this year.  Many other 
journalists have been arrested, injured, or harassed, and 
several stations have been subject to closure.  The work 
suspension was announced at a press conference at a Mogadishu 
Hotel.  Stations affected by the journalists' work stoppage 
include Shabelle, Universal TV, HornAfrik and Radio Simba. 
All of these stations are among those with whom Post works on 
our outreach, and with whom the Transitional Federal 
Government (TFG) works.  Our contacts indicate that the 
twenty are mostly senior journalists who work out of the 
offices in Mogadishu, rather than reporters "in the field." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Abdirahman Yusuf, news editor for Radio Shabelle, 
said the decision to stop working was made after "acts of 
killing, kidnap and intimidation against journalists" have 
increased in recent months.  The journalists noted that they 
are unable to determine with certainty who is behind the 
various actions, particularly Hirabe's apparent 
assassination, noting that extremist groups blame each other 
for the dangers the journalists face.  We are told that the 
twenty journalists have not set an end date for their 
stoppage.  In addition to the twenty who have announced a 
presumably temporary work stoppage, we are told there is 
another cadre of journalists who decided to give up the 
profession, either finding new work in Mogadishu or 
attempting to leave the city altogether. 
 
RANNEBERGER