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Alert

Two reporters briefly detained, a third flees Kismayo fearing for his safety

(NUSOJ/IFEX) - Two reporters in Kismayo were arrested by the Al-Shabaab administration in the Jubba region on 25 December 2009. Qadar Mohamoud Hared, a reporter for the Bossasso-based ETN television station and the Voice of Peace radio station, and Mohamed Abdi Olow, a reporter for Radio Banadir, were arrested after they were told to go to the police station. They were released on the night of 26 December.

The two reporters were informed that they would be released but were told to refute reports they had sent to their respective stations about a conflict that took place on the border between Kenya and Somalia. The journalists were also told to broadcast apologies via their media outlets.

In addition, according to reliable sources, journalist Karar Adan Rukow, who works for Universal TV in Kismayo, reportedly fled to Mogadishu, fearing for his life after learning that he had also been summoned and would be arrested in the same manner as Qadar Mohamoud Hared and Mohamed Abdi Olow after reporting on the conflict at the border.