Barkhad Awale Adan, also spelled Burkhat, ( so, Barkhad Cawaale Aadan) was a Somali journalist. He was the Director of
Radio Hurma, based in
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
, Somalia.
He was killed in 2010 by a stray bullet during intensive fighting between
Al-Shabaab militants and
AMISOM
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implem ...
soldiers in the
Battle of Mogadishu.
Life and career
Adan was born in
Borama
Borama ( so, Boorama, ar, بورما) is the Second capital city of Somaliland and the largest city of the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Ethiopia.
During the Mid ...
in
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
. He was married, with three children.
Adan was a veteran who had worked for 30 years in Mogadishu's radio industry.
He had been working at Radio Hurma for 4 years.
Death
On 24 August 2010, AMISOM forces were battling Al-Shabaab rebels in Mogadishu, after a suicide bombing attack earlier in the day on the Hotel Muna killed at least 33 people.
Awale was helping a technician repair his radio station's roof transmitter when he was struck in the abdomen by a stray crossfire bullet. He was rushed to the Madina hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Adan became the second journalist in Somalia to die in 2010, a year after the country had experienced its deadliest year for journalists up to that point, according to the
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journa ...
.
Reactions
Faruk Osman, Secretary General of the National Union of Somali Journalists, said at the time of Adan's death: "The violence in Mogadishu has made it extremely dangerous for media professionals to carry out their work without falling victims to the ever flying bullets and widespread criminality. We have lost, yet again, another veteran journalist courtesy of the raging hostilities."
Gabriel Baglo, Director of International Federation of Journalists' Africa Office, also stated: "This killing demonstrates again that journalists in Somalia are being targeted by gangs and militias in the country. The authorities must take concrete and urgent measures to protect journalists doing their work and innocent civilians in general."
Additionally,
Irina Bokova
Irina Georgieva Bokova ( bg, Ирина Георгиева Бокова; born 12 July 1952) is a Bulgarian politician and the former Director-General of UNESCO (2009–2017). During her political and diplomatic career in Bulgaria, she served, a ...
, Director General of UNESCO, said: "The Somali press is paying an exorbitant price for the instability prevailing in the country. Combatants must respect journalists’ immunity. Without it, without security, no freedom of expression worthy of the name can exist, even though it is a fundamental human right."
See also
*
List of journalists killed during the Somali civil war
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awale, Barkhad
1950 births
2010 deaths
Deaths by firearm in Somalia
Journalists killed while covering the Somali Civil War
Gadabuursi