MOGADISHU, Somalia 10 February 2025 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) is relieved that journalist Sharif Abdi, who was illegally detained by the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in Mogadishu, and Omar Yusuf Mohamed (Omar Guux), who was held by a clan militia in Lower Shabelle, have been freed and are now back with their families after enduring horrific experiences in detention.
On 9 February 2025, freelance journalist Sharif Abdi, who had been held without a court order by NISA since 25 January 2025, was released. Sharif was kidnapped from Mogadishu’s city center on the night of 25 January by armed NISA officers who tracked his phone, just hours after his home in Waberi district was raided.
He was held and interrogated at Godka Jilaow, NISA’s notorious torture and detention facility at Boondheere neighborhood. According to Sharif and other sources interviewed by SJS, his repeated interrogations focused on his critical reporting on Facebook, particularly posts criticizing NISA chief Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbalolshe) who holds Somali and British citizenship.
For 10 days, Sharif was confined in a narrow, dark, and hot cell with 20 other inmates, including Al-Shabaab suspects. After 10 days, NISA resumed questioning him, focusing on his recent posts about the NISA chief’s trip to the Hiiraan region, where inter-clan conflicts have affected local communities.
On Sunday afternoon, Sharif was called by officers who informed him that his detention was meant to “discipline him and make him soft so that he won’t write critically in the future.” NISA agents then drove him to the Habar Khadijo building in Shibis district, where he briefly met the NISA chief, Mr. Sanbalolshe. At the meeting, the NISA chief warned him against posting critically in the future before releasing him.
On Friday, 7 February, a government-affiliated clan militia in Lower Shabelle kidnapped journalist Omar Yusuf Mohamed (Omar Guux), who reports for Nabad Somali TV, a Facebook-based news platform. Omar was covering local community complaints about militia raids and detentions targeting civilians in and around KM50, Lower Shabelle region.
Omar Guux told SJS that he was locked in an abandoned makeshift house in KM50 before being freed late on the same Friday. He said the militia interrogated him about his report on the disappearance of a local clan elder, who was taken after the militia raided his home on 31 January.
SJS condemns these horrific attacks on journalists in Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle. We call on all parties to respect press freedom and the independence of journalists, including those exposing NISA’s abuses and the crimes of government-affiliated militias.
“The arbitrary detention and intimidation of journalists like Sharif Abdi and Omar Guux highlight the ongoing threats to press freedom in Somalia. No journalist should be kidnapped, tortured, or threatened for simply doing their job,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.
“We strongly condemn these acts and demand accountability for those responsible. The authorities must take concrete steps to investigate these violations, hold the perpetrators—whether state security agents or clan militias—accountable, and ensure the safety of all journalists. Press freedom cannot exist where impunity prevails,” Mr. Mumin added.