Female Broadcast Journalist seriously wounded in Galkayo Town

 

Mogadishu, Sept. 14, 2011

Somali radio female journalist was seriously wounded in Galkayo town of Mudug Region, Central Somalia on Wednesday evening, 14 September 2011 around 07:35hrs local time, by anknownd assailant, NUSOJ reported.

Miss. Horriyo Abdulkadir Sheik Ali, 20yrs, who was a news editor, producer and presenter for Radio Galkayo in Galkayo in the autonomous state of Puntland, Somalia, was shot by unidentified gunmen with 4 bullets upon her return from work at the Garsoor neighborhood, a neighborhood controlled by the Puntland government. One bullet hit in the journalist's stomach and two in the lower side of the chest and one on the right hand according to the hospital nurses.

She was first rushed to the general hospital of the town, but then suddenly transferred to Galkayo Medical Centre, a private hospital in the town, where she is now being treated by the doctors.

Miss. Ali has left the station for home shortly before she was shot and wounded by unidentified assailants. The reason of the shooting is not yet known according to the managing director of radio Galkayo Abdullahi Hersi Adde who has visited the wounded journalist in the hospital shortly after she was admitted to hospital.

The journalist has been conscious when admitted to the hospital but lost more blood as all of the four bullets passed through her body according the Mahad Jama Koronto, the Somalia National Television reporter and NUSOJ's representative of Mudug region among many local journalists who gathered at hospital after the shooting of their colleague.

According to the Doctors who performed the surgey to Miss. Ali said that the operation was successful.

"This is very shocking and painful incident. It is an act of senseless crime when attacking and wounding the journalist. That clearly shows how dangerous the situation is for our journalists safety and that they are not spared from being attached everywhere in the country", Said by Burhan Ahmed Dahir, NUSOJ president. "We call for the Puntland government probe into the shooting of the female journalist." Mr. Dahir added

Miss. Ali was rushing to home located at the other side of the town controlled by the Galmudug Administration.

On August 26, Daljir radio in Galkacyo was attacked with hand grenade by unknown assailants slightly wounded the guard of the radio and damaged the station.

Last September unknown assailants fatally stabbed Abdullahi Omar Geddi Radio Daljir technician in Galkayo after he left the station.

More than 40 people were killed and another dozens wounded in an intense gun battles in Galkayo between the Puntland security forces and a clan militia on 1st and 2nd September 2011. Galkayo town, the capital city of Mudug region has been conflict zone since 1991 between warring clans militias allied between two regional administrations of Puntland and Galmudug.

More updates will follow soon on our website.

For more information contact: Burhan Ahmed Dahir, Tel: +25290 751975.
email: burhaan@nusoj.org.so