NUSOJ concerned about IFJ safety Funds.

[Deeq A.]

Mogadishu, Somalia:The legitimate National Union of Somali Journalist (NUSOJ) received complaints from media practitioners and families of victims of recent terrorist attack in Somalia and is deeply concerned the recent reports by some of the local media indicating Funds meant for Wounded Journalists and families of a deceased journalist to be misappropriated or stolen in Somalia as recipients declared to media . Local media approached us thinking that the legitimate NUSOJ is the one that collected the money from IFJ, but we made it clear to them that the real and the legitimate of NUSOJ never received any funds to support Somali journalists from International Federation of Journalists.

The two wounded journalists Abdishakur Mohamed Hassan and Abdulkadir Omar Ibrahim who spoke with local media on the phone from Beledweyn in central Somalia confirmed that they only recieved $700 each three of them including the widow of Abdullahi.

However, NUSOJ is very suspicious that the money received by the beneficiaries of Beletwein attack in September 2017 among them Abdishakur Mohamed Hassan who works for Saab TV and Abdulkadir Omar Ibrahim of RTN TV and the widow of the deceased journalist Abdullahi Osman Moalim, from IFj safety fund is the actual amount of money allocated for the victims. Local media reports say that the three beneficiaries were allocated to €2000 each totaling €6000

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) expressed concern the misappropriation of the Funds allocated to the Somali journalists and family of killed journalists, raising accountability questions about whether the amount received by both the family members of deceased journalists and journalists wounded in the Beletwein attack in September is the actual amount allocated by the safety fund of the IFJ

“We are concerned that IFJ safety fund for Somali journalists has been partially stolen by corrupt individuals if not all.” Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, NUSOJ Secretary General said, “We are very suspicious that the amount reportedly received by the benefices is the actual amount allocated by the IFJ safety fund.”

The former Secretary General of NUSOJ, Omar Faruk Osman was sacked after he was found to be involved in extreme fraud and widespread corruption during his long term leadership of the Union (from 2006 to 2011) and misused the funds and donations from the international organizations to Somali journalists including IFJ Safety fund. Furthermore he deliberately violated the constitution of NUSOJ for not accepting the decisions of Somali journalists when they removed him from office in 2011. It is time for IFJ to listen to us as we previously warned and reported to them about the true character of the former NUSOJ SG.

The Somali Journalists democratically elected their leaders in May 2016, who was officially endorsed by the Somalia’s Supreme Court but unfortunately International Federation of Journalists still deals with former Secretary General because of his close ties with some members of IFJ steering committee. We, as the genuine NUSOJ leadership we again request IFJ to deal with those who have the mandate and the legitimacy from Somali journalists to promote the freedom of expression and to assist Somali journalists.