MOGADISHU — The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) issued a scathing condemnation on Saturday following the late-night abduction and beating of three prominent journalists by a specialized counter-terrorism unit in the capital.
According to witness accounts and a statement from the SJS, officers from the Mobile Vehicle Checkpoint Unit—a force trained by the U.S. government—and the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) raided a restaurant in Mogadishu’s Wadajir district on Friday night.
The journalists—Mohamed Ibrahim Osman (Bulbul), Abdihafid Nor Barre, and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud—were reportedly beaten with pistols and interrogated about a recent investigative report exposing human rights violations against a woman activist.
“I was hit with a pistol while two officers pointed guns at me with flashlights directed into my eyes,” Bulbul told local media on Saturday morning after his release. He sustained injuries to his kidneys, while Barre suffered a head wound.
The incident has sparked an international outcry regarding the misuse of foreign-funded security assistance. The SJS has called for an independent investigation into why a counter-terrorism unit was deployed against members of the press.
“This is a direct assault on civic space,” SJS Secretary General Abdalle Mumin told a local radio station.
“We cannot have units trained for national security being used to silence those who expose the truth.”
The Somali government has not yet issued a formal response to the allegations, though NISA sources privately claimed the operation was part of a broader “security sweep.” However, the timing—following the publication of an article in The Guardian co-reported by Bulbul—has led many to believe the raid was retaliatory.
The incident adds to a troubling trend in Somalia, where five journalists were arrested in a single day earlier this week, signaling a deepening crackdown on media freedom as the country grapples with its ongoing fight against Al-Shabaab and internal political transitions.
