Somalia

Somalia’s state-media landscape in 2026 is uniformly State Controlled (SC) across two parallel jurisdictions: the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in Mogadishu, which operates four outlets: flagship television broadcaster Somali National Television (SNTV) with its second channel SNTV Daljir, longstanding national radio service Radio Mogadishu (founded 1951, relaunched 2001), official wire service Somali National News Agency (SONNA) (established 5 January 1964, relaunched 2011), and the federal state newspaper Dalka Journal (Wargeyska Dalka); and the Government of Somaliland in Hargeisa, which operates a structurally parallel architecture: state television Somaliland National Television (SLNTV), the historic Radio Hargeysa (originally Radio Kudu, with a layered British-period founding chronology spanning 1941–44), the Somaliland News Agency (SOLNA) (established 2007 by Presidential decree), and the Dawan Media Group (DMG) print consortium (established 1998 as Mandeeq Media Group). All eight outlets operate as departments within their respective ministries of information; none has an independent board, autonomous public-service statute, or external mechanism guaranteeing editorial independence.

Without altering this picture, the 2024–2026 period brought institutionally consequential developments at both jurisdictional levels. At the FGS level, the African Union Transition Mission (ATMIS) was replaced by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) on 1 January 2025; Somalia held the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council in January 2026, its first since the 1971–72 Council term, and Mogadishu held its first one-person-one-vote local poll since 1969 on 25 December 2025, electing council members across 16 Banadir districts while opposition parties rejected the process as flawed.

In March 2026, parliament approved constitutional amendments that Reuters reported could extend the president’s term and delay elections, while analysts said the legal implications remained unclear. On 6 May 2026, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre appointed Abdifitah Qasim Mohamud as Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, replacing Daud Aweis Jama. At the Somaliland level, the 13 November 2024 presidential election delivered a peaceful transfer of power from Muse Bihi Abdi to Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro), inaugurated 12 December 2024 after winning 63.92% of the vote; on 26 December 2025, Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as independent, with diplomatic steps that followed including agrément granted to Mohamed Hagi/Haji as Somaliland’s first ambassador to Israel (February 2026) and the appointment of Michael Lotem as Israel’s first ambassador to Somaliland (April 2026), although Somalia, the African Union, and the OIC rejected the recognition.

A 5 April 2026 cabinet reshuffle by President Cirro brought Barkhad Jama Hirsi Batoon to the Information ministry, replacing Ahmed Yasin Sheikh Ali Ayaanle, who had resigned in December 2025 after Xeer Ciise unrest. Federal-Member-State-level state broadcasters (Puntland TV and Radio (PLTV) in Garowe, Galmudug TV in Dhusamareb, Radio Kismaayo in Jubaland, Radio Koonfor Galbeed in South West State, and Hirshabelle media outlets) operate alongside this dataset’s outlets but are not included in the SMM scope for Somalia, reflecting methodological consistency with prior years.

Somalia (with Somaliland reported under the same country entry by RSF) ranks 126th of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, with RSF describing Somalia as one of Africa’s most dangerous countries for journalists and noting that more than 50 media professionals have been killed there since 2010. The 2026 environment has been particularly difficult: SJS documented at least 18 violations against journalists since January 2026, including the 2 March 2026 killing of Abshir Khalif Shide Omar / Abshir Khalif Shidane in Kismayo by a Jubaland police officer, the 15 April 2026 Banadir Regional Police Commander warning against discussing the disputed end of the presidential term, the 16 April 2026 South West State reporting ban, and, separately, in Somaliland-administered jurisdiction, the 22 February 2026 detention of Warrame Media founder Ahmed-Zaki Ibrahim Mohamud in Hargeisa without formal charges (per CPJ; SJS reported on 3 May 2026 that he remained in custody), as well as the early March 2026 arrest of Abdiqaadir Mohamed (“Ishqi”) in Borama and reports concerning Mohamed Saleban Ahmed (“Suute”).

On 9 May 2026, The Guardian reported that Mohamed Bulbul and two colleagues had been detained and beaten by Somali police, amid wider arrests and pressure on journalists. Alternative voices in Somalia’s media environment continue to be carried by privately-owned and clan-affiliated outlets, including Goobjoog, Universal TV, Radio Shabelle, Radio Dalsan, Kaab TV, and Bilan Media (founded 2020 as the country’s first all-women newsroom), alongside international Somali-language broadcasters such as the BBC Somali Service and VOA Somali, but state-controlled outlets continue to dominate official information flows in both the FGS and Somaliland jurisdictions, reinforcing the SC typology pattern that has held across the dataset since 2022.

Media profiles