On May 9, 2026, counter-terrorism police in Mogadishu arrested and assaulted The Guardian’s reporters, Mohamed Bulbul, Abdihafid Nor Barre, and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud, for documenting state-sanctioned torture of an inmate. This act reflects the global decline in press freedom, which has hit a 25-year low, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
When a government, like Somalia’s, views investigative journalism as a threat to national security, it weaponises the state against human rights. Specifically, such a view undermines the right to information—a key factor in a free society. To reclaim press freedom, the government must end its monopoly on security, and journalists need private legal defence funding and digital shields to protect them.
When a country imposes restrictions on its media, the consequences extend far beyond silencing journalists. The deployment of national defence personnel against members of the press—a crucial component of governmental oversight—precipitates escalation of human rights violations, pervasive corruption, and misrepresentation of state failure. Without an independent press, the public remains vulnerable and uninformed about the realities surrounding them.
With Somalia ranking 126th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Report 2026, the media’s relevance continues to diminish, serving as a tool for the government rather than a source of information for citizens to understand the country’s political, economic, and social realities.
Protection of journalists
Citizens must push for laws that limit the government’s power to prosecute journalists, whistleblowers, and advocates who inform the public about events in Somalia. In advanced democracies, public-interest defence or whistleblower protection laws protect informants, provided they can establish that their actions serve the greater public good, despite their limitations.
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In 2019, the European Union passed a directive requiring all 27 member states to enact laws protecting those who publish information about wrongdoing. Countries like France, Germany, and Denmark have adhered to these directives.
Ghana, an African country, has also decriminalised acts by journalists surrounding the release of public information about administrative corruption and environmental hazards. In Bulbul’s case, decriminalising public-interest journalism would serve the public interest.
Media vulnerability in African countries often stems from insufficient funding. To counter state aggression against the media in Somalia, a decentralised, private-sector-led media protection fund is needed. This fund would help journalists afford strong legal defence teams in cases like Bulbul’s, including emergency relocation for journalists facing threats.
In Afghanistan, when journalist Shukrallah Esmat, who worked for Radio Killid, was fleeing from the Taliban, RSF moved him and his family to Pakistan. Later, the organisation relocated them to Germany on emergency humanitarian visas.
In countries like Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Russia, privately funded media organisations, such as the Journalist in Exile Fund and the Journalists in Distress (JiD) Network, have stepped in to evacuate journalists and entire newsrooms who faced legal action by their governments.
In Somalia, journalists and media houses can partner with these organisations to establish and support them in the country.
Need for digital security
Given the possibility of tracing journalists’ digital footprints, independent newsrooms in Somalia should mandate the use of digital security protocols, as in other countries facing human rights violations. In Bulbul’s case, the harassment he faced before his arrest suggests a high level of state surveillance. A digital security protocol would have kept him ahead of the government.
El Faro, an independent newsroom in El Salvador, once suffered a spyware attack from the government. The government used this spyware to learn what they were working on and to intimidate the journalists there.
In response, the newsroom completely overhauled its operational protocols by using ephemeral communications and localised virtual proxy networks, including Apple’s Lock Mode, to prevent the government from knowing what they were working on.
Journalists and media houses in Somalia can share information securely and bypass the state’s monopoly by adopting similar digital security protocols.
To reduce the terrible and inhumane conditions journalists face in Somalia, there must be a culture of accountability—especially from the government—and protection of freedom of expression.
Somalia needs a free media that can investigate the government and inform citizens about their right to information. Press freedom is vital to social and political development and economic prosperity.
Hannah Omokafe Dennis is a writing fellow at African Liberty, a U.S.-based think tank focused on advancing individual freedom, peace, and prosperity in Africa. She’s available at omakafedennis@gmail.com or on Instagram as @omokafe_hannah_dennis. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
