The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is shocked to learn that unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade to a radio station in the town of Baidoa controlled by the Federal government of Somalia, on March 1, 2013, while the administration of Himan and Heeb shut down a radio station in Adado on March 2, 2013. Both are independent and privately owned radio stations, respectively.
Unknown assailants threw a hand grenade into the premises of Radio Baidoa, in the town of Baidoa of Bay region, on Friday March 1, 2013 around 12:30pm local time. There were no human casualties reported, but damaged some of the walls of the building, although the radio employees were safe, according to the director of the Radio Baidoa, Mr. Mohamoud Mohamed Kheyre who contacted NUSOJ via phone from Baidoa.
“We were in the middle of our work and every journalist was busy preparing his/her programs when we heard shocking sound of the horrible explosion inside the premises.” Mr, Mohamoud Mohamed Kheyre, Director of Baidoa Radio told NUSOJ via phone interview, “Allah is great! No one was hurt, the bomb was thrown at the back of the building and damaged some of the walls.”
No group claimed the responsibility of the attack, although the Somali police in Baidoa arrested three persons in connection with the radio bombing and investigations are going on.
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In a separate incident, militias loyal to the local administration of Himan and Heeb shut down Radio Al-Ihsaan, a privately owned radio station that had been in operation for the last couple of years in the town of Adado, on Saturday March 2, 2013, according to the the director of Al-Ixsaan Radio, Sharmarke Mohamed Mohamoud “Suuley” who spoke with NUSOJ. The radio station resumed operations on Monday evening March 04, 2013.
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns the bomb attack of the radio station in the town of Baidoa in the strongest terms possible and calls for the Himan and Heeb administration to respect the freedom of the press and allow the radio station and its journalists to exercise the basic freedoms granted by the provisional federal constitution.
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible the bomb attack against the Radio Baidoa by the enemies of the press.” Mohamed Ibrahim, Secretary General of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) said, “The Media and the journalists serving the Somalis by providing timely news and should be given full respect in exercising their granted freedoms.”
