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Reporters Without Borders has condemned the closure of the privately-owned Radio Somaliweyn, which was shut down after the station broadcast an interview in which an exile politician explained why he was joining the radical, armed wing of the opposition. The closure is the latest in a series of measures which the media freedom organisation has described as coercive and without legal authority.

Mohamed Omar Habeeb “Mohamed Dhere” – the mayor of Mogadishu and the Governor of Banadir Region – ordered the closure of Somaliweyn radio this morning for allegedly violating an agreement  between the regional government and media organisations working in Bandadir.

The director of Somaliweyn radio – Mr Abdirahman Mohamed Hassan “Hudeyfi” – was told by the mayor to shut down the radio and stop all broadcasting activities.

Staff at the radio station deny violating any agreements, but decided to follow the order from the mayor and stop all radio activities. They say they are intent on discussing the situation with the regional administration and making every effort to be allowed to broadcast again.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says the closure is the latest in a series of measures which it describes as coercive and without legal authority.

According to the media freedom organisation, the interview that upset Dhere was with Moallim Hashi, a member of the Alliance for a New Liberation of Somalia, which groups the former Islamic courts and former Somali parliamentarians. RSF says that during the interview, Hashi gave his reasons for joining the Shaabab, the radical military wing of Eritrean-based Islamist opposition.

The radio station is based in Mogadishu’s northern suburbs and is owned by exile businessmen.

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is strongly condemning the closure and has demanded that the regional administration allows Radio Somaliweyn to recommence its operations without restriction.