Tributes are being offered for a prominent Somali TV journalist, Abdifatah Moalim Nur, who lost his life in a suicide bombing at a restaurant in Mogadishu, the capital.
Colleagues praised him as an “exceptional” and “inspiring” figure. This tragic incident marks the first journalist fatality in Somalia this year, as reported by a local media watchdog.
The extremist group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at the Blue Sky restaurant, which is located near the presidential palace.
Outside the restaurant, four other individuals sustained injuries, according to the police. The Information Minister, Daud Aweis, strongly condemned the “cowardly” assault.
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) expressed deep sorrow at the “senseless and brutal” killing of Nur, who served as the director of Somali Cable Television, a privately owned media outlet.
NUSOJ acknowledged Nur’s remarkable career and unwavering commitment to journalism, which has left a lasting impact on the profession, inspiring numerous young journalists to strive for excellence.
It’s worth noting that Nur had previously received threats, as reported by the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS).
Last year in October, journalist Mohamed Isse Hassan was among over 100 individuals who lost their lives in twin car bombings in Mogadishu.
In the month prior to that, a reporter from the state-owned Somali National Television, Ahmed Mohamed Shukur, was killed by a landmine near the capital.
Al-Shabab has been conducting deadly attacks in Somalia in response to a large-scale military offensive aimed at expelling the jihadists.
Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, took office in May of the previous year, vowing to wage an “all-out war” against the group.
Source-BBC
