Journalists seek president's help to leave Mogadishu.

Mogadishu 12 June 2009

The president of the interim Somali government [Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad] has met with Mogadishu journalists who announced they are quitting work because they fear for their safety.

During the closed-door meeting, the president talked to the journalists about the constant problems and killings perpetrated against journalists resulting in their quitting work. He expressed his condolence over killings and injuries perpetrated against their colleagues. The president gave the journalists $1,000 apiece, since they no longer work and earn wages saying that they were being hunted in Mogadishu, the journalists requested the president to take them out of the city.

They particularly appealed to the president to send them to European countries where they could obtain political asylum. But he told them he wouldn’t do so.

The president told the journalists that violence against Somali journalists was mostly committed by groups opposed to the government, pointing out that all killings and injuries perpetrated against journalists occurred in areas controlled by the opposition groups, particularly in Bakara market.

Its clear that Alshabaab kill every innocent Somalis who want to do work for their people but Sheikh Aweys joined in that rank as his militia vowed of killing any journalists who hold sensitive interviews with the government officials.

ASOJ Head Research and ducomentation