Somalia
Battle between government and Islamist insurgents hits the airwavesPosted Apr 26 2010
Radio stations in Mogadishu are being influenced from all directions by a persistent power struggle in Somalia between the government and Islamic insurgents.
Stations were recently threatened by an Islamist group to stop playing music. The New York Times stated Islamists say the need to play music is based on Western influence, something to which they are strongly opposed. Because of the threats, 14 radio stations stopped playing music and replaced it with odd noises, such as gunshots, car horns and braying animals. According to The Guardian, this included all but two stations that decided to resist the order: Radio Mogadishu, which is controlled by the government, and Radio Bar-Kulan, which is funded by the UN.
But April 18, the government struck back against the groups, saying any stations that gave in to the demands of the opposition would be faced with permanent closure. In the eyes of the government, heeding the commands of Islamists means working for them.
In an article by The New York Times, the director of a station in the city said: “The order and counterorder are very destructive. Each group is issuing orders against us and we are the sole victims.”
This struggle between the government and Islamic insurgents has persisted for some time, as both battle for control over Somalia. According to both The Guardian and The New York Times, Al Shabab has already been successful in banning BBC news stations and Voice of America programming in Somalia, as well as gaining control of many small stations throughout the country.