MANDERA, Somalia (SMN) – Mandera County Governor Mohammed Adan Khalif has called out the media for misquoting that he said al Shabaab controls 60 percent of Mandera County.
In a tweet on Saturday, he only said that he stated al Shaabab’s presence and sightings are more than 60 per cent.
“It has come to my attention that my statement regarding al Shabaab’s presence in Mandera at the Kenya Somalia Borderlands conference has been inaccurately portrayed by the media. I explicitly stated that ‘al Shabaab presence and sightings are more than 60 per cent’,” he said.
“The media misquoted me, falsely claiming that I said, “Al-Shabaab controls 60 percent of Mandera county”.”
He said that the statement made by him at the conference focused on the presence and activities of the group in the region.
Khalif said that the message given out by the media is false and misleading to the public.
He has noted that he did not make any reference to al Shaabab’s control over any specific percentage.
“This misrepresentation is entirely false and misleading. I want to emphasize that I did not make any reference to al Shabaab’s control over any specific percentage of Mandera County,” Khalif said.
He has therefore urged the media to rectify the mistake and give the public accurate information.
“Misquoting statements can have severe consequences and may lead to misconceptions among the public. I urge the media to rectify this error and provide an accurate account of my original statement to foster a better understanding of the situation,” the governor said.
Source: The Star
