Barawe's minority community loses vital radio voice after an armed attack

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Barawe's minority community loses vital radio voice after an armed attack

MOGADISHU, Somalia 29 September, 2023 – 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 m

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Radio Barawe journalists are seen in the radio studio days before the attack on the radio premises. | Photo/ Radio Barawe.

MOGADISHU, Somalia 29 September, 2023 – 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.

Radio Barawe, which broadcasted in the Barawani language, serves the minority community of the ethnic Barawani. | Photo/ Radio Barawe.

"After broadcasting that report, the threats intensified,” Osman told SJS. "Following the shooting, I went into hiding to attempt to resume radio operations, but the armed individuals who attacked us, reportedly associated with the former district commissioner, continued to threaten me.”

Radio Barawe and its journalists have encountered threats in the past. SJS previously documented two raids on Radio Barawe and the subsequent detention of its journalists in 2020 and 2021 by Southwest State authorities in Barawe who ordered the radio to cease its Barawani language programming.

"We are deeply saddened that the marginalized Barawani community is now unable to access their radio, and journalists from their community have been forced to flee the country following the attack on 12 August. It is disheartening that the perpetrators are well-known and remain at large with impunity,” said SJS Secretary-General Abdalle Ahmed Mumin. "We urgently call for an investigation into this incident and other attacks on journalists. Impunity for crimes against journalists is a grave issue in Somalia that threaten journalists’ safety and security and therefore it must be addressed seriously.”

Universal access to information is a fundamental right, encompassing the freedom to seek, receive, and share information. This right is an integral aspect of freedom of expression. The media plays a pivotal role in informing the public about matters of interest, reliant on the ability to access information freely. Consequently, universal access to information is closely intertwined with the freedom of the press.

"Only when citizens, such as those in Barawe, have access to information from sources they understand and about of how they are governed, can they make informed decisions. We demand this important radio station to be allowed to resume broadcast and the threats against its journalists must cease immediately,” Mr. Mumin added.