Media Helping Media

Staff at Radio Shabelle in Mogadishu have asked for a statement to be published on this site regarding an alleged attack by forces from the transitional government of Somalia on their radio station. They say they have been forced to cease all media activity after members of the transitional government fired on their premises. They have called on the international community to intervene.

Reports from Mogadishu say the independent media organisation, Global Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), is off air after Somalia's transitional government deployed troops at the main gate. Dalmar Yusuf Mohamed in Mogadishu emailed this site to report that because of the action, journalists have been unable to get past the soldiers in order to do their jobs. It's the second attack on the broadcaster in five months.

A radio station covering events in Zimbabwe has launched a 24-hour news website carrying reports from journalists based inside the country. The development of the Radio VOP site comes two and a half years after police raided the company's offices in Harare and took three female members of staff for questioning. The station's chairman, David Masunda, reports.