The Somalian government launches media crackdown

MOGADISHU – Somalia’s government, with new emergency powers in hand to tame the chaotic country, ordered four major media outlets to shut on Monday as the president named a team to take charge of the capital.

The interim government, weeks after arriving in Mogadishu on the heels of an Ethiopian-led offensive, is struggling to impose order and has seen forces backing it attacked repeatedly, most recently in a firefight late on Sunday. The government’s national security agency sent the closure order by letter to HornAfrik Media, Shabelle Media Network, the Koranic radio station IQK and the local office of Al Jazeera television.”You should shut down upon receipt of this letter and appear at 10 am on Tuesday at the office of national security,” said the letter, signed by Colonel Ahmed Hassan Ali and seen by Reuters.Managers at HornAfrik and Shabelle, among the country’s biggest independent broadcasters, both confirmed they shut down as ordered.Qatar-based Al Jazeera said it had not been informed but saw no reason for such a move.IQK could not immediately be reached for comment.”Now that there is a government in place, they need to get a licence and avoid causing unrest by airing unconfirmed reports,” government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said.Dinari declined to say whether the move was carried out under sweeping emergency powers the parliament voted to give President Abdullahi Yusuf on Saturday.Nampa-ReutersThe government’s national security agency sent the closure order by letter to HornAfrik Media, Shabelle Media Network, the Koranic radio station IQK and the local office of Al Jazeera television.”You should shut down upon receipt of this letter and appear at 10 am on Tuesday at the office of national security,” said the letter, signed by Colonel Ahmed Hassan Ali and seen by Reuters.Managers at HornAfrik and Shabelle, among the country’s biggest independent broadcasters, both confirmed they shut down as ordered.Qatar-based Al Jazeera said it had not been informed but saw no reason for such a move.IQK could not immediately be reached for comment.”Now that there is a government in place, they need to get a licence and avoid causing unrest by airing unconfirmed reports,” government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said.Dinari declined to say whether the move was carried out under sweeping emergency powers the parliament voted to give President Abdullahi Yusuf on Saturday.Nampa-Reuters