By WardheerNews
The Somali government, under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has escalated its war on free speech with a deliberate and aggressive campaign to silence all dissenting voices.
On March 1, 2025, the crackdown claimed its first casualty when Ali Adan Mumin, a well-known political commentator and journalist, was arrested on baseless charges of “threatening national security and defaming government officials.” Mumin, a fearless critic of corruption and authoritarian rule, was targeted for his outspoken analysis of Somalia’s worsening governance crisis. His detention is not an isolated event but part of a growing pattern of repression designed to crush independent voices.
Just one day later, on March 2, 2025, access to WardheerNews, one of Somalia’s most reputable news platforms renowned for its in-depth political analysis and investigative journalism, was abruptly blocked in regions serviced by Hormuud Telecommunications. This restriction effectively cut off access to the site across Mogadishu, Hirshabelle, Galmudug, South West State, and Jubaland.
This latest attack on free speech is a glaring reminder that the Somali government’s priority is not national security, not economic development, but the absolute control of information and suppression of independent thought.
The censorship of WardheerNews is not an isolated act but part of an ongoing digital siege and oppression of free speech. The government has mobilized a team of cyber enforcers, hacking Facebook accounts, shutting down YouTube channels, silencing journalists, civil society organizations and oppositions through intimidation, imprisonment, or worse.
Yet, while the government obsessively polices dissenting voices, it has done little to combat Al-Shabaab’s online propaganda machine, which continues to radicalize and recruit freely. If the same effort used to silence journalists were directed toward counterterrorism, Somalia would be in a far better position today.
The suppression of information is a dangerous step toward full-scale dictatorship, and every citizen has a duty to resist it. To counteract this digital stranglehold, we urge Somali citizens to download VPNs to bypass government-imposed restrictions and continue accessing uncensored news and critical reporting.
Somalia remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with many murdered, imprisoned, or exiled for simply reporting the truth. The international community has long spoken of its commitment to press freedom and human rights, but words mean nothing without action.
We call upon Somalis, human rights organizations, diplomatic missions, and international media watchdogs to demand:
- The immediate release of Ali Adan Mumin and all journalists detained for their reporting.
- An end to government censorship and the unblocking of WardheerNews and other independent media.
- Accountability for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration in its systematic assault on free speech.
The right to free expression is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. Silence is complicity.
WardheerNews
Email: [email protected]
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