MOGADISHU (SJS)- Thursday marked the International Day for Universal Access to Information; however, the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) expresses its deep concern about the denial of the right to information for the minority community in Barawe, in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region, following the cessation of broadcasts by their only radio station in their native language following the armed attack last month.
On the evening of 12 August, 2023, Radio Barawe’s director, Osman Aweys Bahar, heard gunshots outside the radio station’s offices in Barawe, the capital of Somalia’s South-West State. Osman, along with two other witnesses, reported seeing approximately four individuals firing weapons on the street below. Osman and one of the witnesses said that the gunfire was directed at the Radio Barawe building. When they shouted down to inquire about the reason for the attack, one of the assailants discharged his weapon toward the rooftop, compelling them to seek refuge inside.
“Fortunately, no one of us was injured physically,” Osman told SJS.
But the incident left a deep emotional impact on the radio staff and its director. Bullet holes from the attack still scar the building. The aggressors, who also issued death threats against the director, effectively brought the radio’s operations to a halt. Today, 49 days have passed since that incident and the radio station remains inactive, and its director, Osman Aweys Bahar, a member of the same community, fled the country due to escalating threats to his life.
Radio Barawe, which aired its broadcasts in the Barawani language, also known as Chimwimini, a dialect spoken exclusively by the Barawani ethnic community, was a vital source of information for this minority community. On 8 August 2023, the radio station aired a report concerning the death of a Barawe resident, whose family alleged he was killed in a land dispute. The radio also interviewed family members of the victim who demanded for justice.
Source: SJS
