Journalists in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan faced significant pressure, including censorship, arrests, and violence, according to IPI monitoring of press freedom threats and violations for the month of April.
In total, IPI documented 60 incidents across 13 countries during this month, with a vast majority of press freedom threats or violations occurring at the hands of public authorities, including police, security agencies, and judicial authorities.
The highest number of incidents were documented in Somalia, where authorities continue to censor and restrict news and information. Somalia’s Ministry of Information demanded that Facebook remove an online interview by journalist Mohamud Mohamed Dahir of Somali Journalists Syndicate Secretary-General Abdalle Mumin as dangerous content. In the interview, Abdalle Mumin, a journalist who has also been persecuted by state authorities detailed the human rights violations that he noted in the Mogadishu detention centers.
In Ethiopia, several journalists were arrested and detained, with some being charged with incitement of violence for simply doing their work. IPI also joined 48 other organizations under the #KeepItOn coalition in sending a letter to the Ethiopian government calling on them to end the ongoing internet shutdowns in the Tigray and Amhara regions.
In Sudan, authorities in April ordered MTN and Sudatel to shut down mobile and internet services temporarily and also cut the transmission of the state TV broadcaster, amid the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary force- the Rapid Support Force.
IPI monitors and collects data on press freedom violations in Africa using a standardized methodology that categorizes violations across the following main categories: physical, verbal or online attacks; arrests and charges against journalists; surveillance of journalists; cases of censorship; laws and regulations that restrict the press freedom; and restriction on access to information. Data are further disaggregated by gender. Our monitoring and data collection activities are part of IPI’s wider Africa programme, which aims to defend press freedom and the safety of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa.
