The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today reiterated its request for an emergency international action to put an end to the assassinations of journalists in Somalia, after the murder of Mohamud Mohamed Yusuf of the Radio Holy Quran (IQK), who was killed on Saturday July 4 in central Mogadishu.

“These foolish attacks against journalists in Somalia must stop,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office. “Our colleagues are victims of people determined to muzzle the press and there is a risk that it will soon be impossible for them  to inform the national and international opinion about what is happening  in Somalia,” he added.

According to the Editor-in-chief of the Holy Quran Radio, Mohamed Abdi Gedi, Yusuf, 22 years old, died of wounds at the stomach after he had been shot by two unidentified gunmen on Saturday about 7:30 a.m. while he was reading  newspapers in a northern district of Mogadishu. He died of a hemorrhage after several hours, his assassins having prevented people from giving him assistance by firing at them.

“We convey our condolences to the family and to colleagues of Mohamud Mohamed Yusuf. We denounce the war in Mogadishu and demand immediate end of the hostilities,” declared Abdirisak Omar Ismail, President of the Executive council of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

This murder brings to six the number of journalists killed in Somalia since the beginning of the year, making this country the most dangerous for journalists in Africa.

For more information contact the IFJ at   + 221 33 867 95 87       
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 123 countries worldwide