Media Spoilers in Somalia identified as a Threat to the Security of the Journalists

The Somali Media Spoilers, who a Dutch court recently handed down a heavy sentence over false allegations against a Somali remittance company, have now faced their second blow after the United Nations Security Council amended their 2014 Somalia report that alleges Somali innocent citizen as a suicide bomber.

Waagacusub and its owner Dahir Alasow, who is a Somali refugee in Holland and its English editor Omar Faruk Osman who are known for extorting and blackmailing the public officials and other prominent business entities in Somalia, alleged Mohamed Abukar Zubeyr as a suicide bomber who blew himself up at the Bosaso police station on 4 August 2014 and thus published Zubeyr’s passport which only was in the hands of Omar Faruk Osman, according to Zubeyr who gave exclusive interview with Horn Observer.

"On 6 April 2016, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia and Eritrea received a letter dated 6 April 2016 from the Coordinator of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea providing it with new information regarding Mr. Mohamed Abukar Zubeyr”, the statement which was published on 14 April said , "This information shows that Mr. Zubeyr is not the suicide bomber involved in the incident at the Bosasso Central Police station in Puntland on 4 August 2014, which was reported in the Group’s final report of 13 October 2014 (S/2014/726)”.

After the story of Mr. Zubeyr went viral, a lot of victims of abuse through media have dared to talk publicly about their take on the reported extortion by the Dahir Alasow and Omar Faruk Osman, those interviewed included civil society entities, lawmakers and members of the business community all of them were victimized on behalf of the Media, which makes the perception of people against the media more dangerous, putting many innocent Somali journalists at serious risk.

However, Human Rights Watch released a report on the sidelines of the World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, 2016 on the attacks on the Media entitled "Like Fish in Poisonous waters.”. The 93 page report paints grim picture on the Press freedom of the country and the dangers facing against the profession.

"Government officials, journalists and international media experts told Human Rights Watch that many journalists lacked professionalism, pointing in particular to a handful of websites and outlets that have on occasion smeared public officials.” The HRW report said.

"In page 18 of the report further notes interviews from international media experts, the websites of Dahir Alasow in particular were mentioned in discussions as evidence of poor journalism bent on smearing the reputation of individuals, the report added.

In this way, many media professionals warned that Waagacusub and its owner Dahir Alasow is putting the name of the Somali media in danger which could result public distrust, which threatens the security and the safety of the Somali Journalists.

Somalia government on November last year officially ordered the closures of those websites, following complaints filed at the Somalia’s Attorney general office.

In the meantime, there have been reliable sources indicating that Dahir Alasow and his associates might have recently been associated to the terrorist organizations, after foretelling in a detailed manner of many successful terrorist attacks which Alasow gave credit himself for telling a week earlier, an operation many believe could not have been known other than the real planners.