Somali Journalist Survives Assassination Attempt

Radio Galkayo Director Awil Mohamud Abdi survived an assassination attempt Friday (August 2nd), according to a press release from the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

Assailants followed Abdi as he returned home from the Radio Galkayo offices late Friday night, and fired seven bullets through his bedroom window. Abdi dropped to the floor, however, and was unharmed.

“They wanted to communicate a message to me as well as to Radio Galkayo and the journalist community in Galkayo,” he said. “They want to prevent us from telling the truth but I want to tell them we will not be discouraged.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the NUSOJ said al-Shabaab has recently targeted Galkayo journalists for covering killings in the town.

allafrica.com