MOGADISHU – The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has on Thursday, 2nd February released an in-depth report which sheds the light on the role of the media in the national strategy for preventing and countering violent extremism.
Funded by the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the study examined the challenges that the media in Somalia is facing, including extremist threats.
The report found that there are increasing attempts by extremists to use the media as a vehicle to spread their destructive narratives.
To find a way out of this, the report advocates closer involvement of the independent media in the country in the Somali government’s existing and upcoming national strategy.
A critical analysis of the national P/CVE strategy, the study comes as Somalia embarks on a review of the 2016 National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.
The new NUSOJ study scrutinized the approach and examines the relationship between media and the state and how the hostile treatment of journalists and the media, in general, has prevented them from making a more robust contribution to P/CVE.
The report urged Somali authorities to give pay more attention and view the media as a strategic partner rather than an adversary, given the current situation in war-torn Somalia.
“The study critically examined the dominant themes of radicalization and violent extremism, its drivers as well as vulnerable groups and the causes of vulnerability,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.
NUSOJ warned that, if the strategy fails to embrace constructive engagement with media, there will be a significant risk that attempts to counter violent extremism will fail to achieve their declared goals.
In the conclusion, NUSOJ’s SG Omar Faruk thanked the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for the financial support to execute the valuable and timely study.
Also, NUSOJ appreciated its partners from the IGAD Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICEPCVE) and the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) for the highly productive cooperation in this intervention that ensures P/CVE efforts can benefit from rigorous research and analysis.
