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ALERT - SOMALIA

26 May 2005

Journalist shot and wounded in Mogadishu

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

SOMALIA: Journalist shot and wounded in Mogadishu

New York, May 26, 2005 - Veteran journalist Abdallah Nurdin Ahmad was
wounded Tuesday night in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, when an unidentified
gunman fired three times at close range, according to CPJ sources. Nurdin, a
senior producer at the private radio station HornAfrik, underwent surgery at
Medina Hospital and was recovering today.

Ali Iman Sharmake, HornAfrik's co-manager, told CPJ it was not clear why
Nurdin was targeted, but it could have been for his work as a journalist.
Nurdin also owns a snack bar, and some sources said a dispute over that
business could have sparked the shooting. The attack occurred at the snack
bar.

Iman described Nurdin as the "godfather of Somali journalists," a well-known
playwright, and a songwriter. Nurdin hosts a weekend entertainment program
for HornAfrik, and he produces and provides the voice for advertisements,
according to Iman.

One local press freedom group, the Somali Press Freedom Violation Monitors,
said Nurdin was thought to have been shot for his radio station work and
that HornAfrik journalists and staff had been targeted before. The Somali
Journalists Network (SOJON) told CPJ its investigations pointed to a
business motive.

For further information, contact Africa Program Coordinator Julia Crawford
or Research Associate Alexis Arieff at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY
10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail:
[email protected], Internet: http://www.cpj.org/

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of CPJ.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit CPJ.
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