U.S. international broadcasting officials condemned the killing of a journalist at an affiliate of Voice of America in Somalia.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors and VOA described the death of Said Tahlil Ahmed, director of HornAfrik, a media network, as a senseless murder. He was shot in Mogadishu’s Bakara market. Ahmed had been director of HornAfrik since 2007 and hosted a talk show. No one claimed responsibility for his death, officials said.
His predecessor at HornAfrik, Mohamed Elmi, was killed by a roadside bomb in 2007.
“Targeting journalists such as Said Tahlil Ahmed has a disastrous impact on the institution of the press in Somalia,” stated Blanquita Cullum of the BBG. “Free media is one of the building blocks for stability, something greatly needed in Somalia.”
HornAfrik operates two radio stations and a television station in Somalia. VOA called the private network “an important partner in transmitting VOA’s news and information in both English and Somali to listeners throughout Somalia.”
