The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned the killing of a journalist in northern Somalia and an assassination attempt on another journalist, which left him seriously wounded.

According to local news reports, Ahmed Farah Ilyas, 25, a correspondent for the privately owned Universal TV, was shot dead on Oct. 23 in the Las Anod district of Sool region. The journalist was on his way home when unidentified gunmen approached him and opened fire. Ahmed Farah Ilyas succumbed to his injuries on the spot, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) reported. No group has reportedly claimed responsibility for the murder. According to NUSOJ, journalists in Las Anod are often targets of threats from armed groups.

In a separate incident on Oct. 21, Mohamed Mohamoud Tuuryare, website editor and program producer for Shabelle Radio , was seriously wounded by two unknown armed men in the Hawo Tako area of Wadajir district, in Northwestern Somalia, reportedly not far from his home. He received three bullet wounds, one in the chest and two in the abdomen and was rushed to Madina hospital, where he received intensive medical treatment, NUSOJ reported.

“We condemn the apparent targeted murder of Ahmed Farah Ilyas and the assassination attempt on Mohamed Mohamoud Tuuryare,” said IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills. “ Somalia is by far the deadliest country for journalists in Africa, and the second deadliest country in the world after Syria. We are alarmed by the current situation and deeply concerned by the fact that performing daily work has become life threatening for the journalists in Somalia. We urge the authorities to conduct an immediate thorough investigation into the cases, bring the perpetrators to justice, and take prompt measures to improve the situation and to protect the rights of journalists.”