Hargeysa, Somaliland, August 2, 2007 – Twenty five Somali journalists from various news media organizations and freelancers took part in two-day workshop held between 31 July and 1 August 2007 at Maan-Soor Hotel. They included journalists from Mogadishu, Kismayu, Beledweyn, Jowhar, Baidoa, Bossasso and Galkayo.

The International News Safety Institute (INSI) and the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) coordinated the safety training workshop, which is the first-ever for Somali journalists in Hargeysa, Somaliland.

The safety training seminar taught journalists about personal safety, pre-deployment planning, conflict management, dealing with hostile crowds, ballistic awareness and reaction to shooting, checkpoints, abduction and basic first aid. All trained journalists were given a first aid kit for field use.

The training was taught by a British trainer from the TOR International, a security and training firm based in the United Kingdom.

"We want to introduce safety concepts to Somali journalists so they can better protect themselves in hostile environment" said Sarah de Jong, Deputy Director of INSI. " Somalia is our priority because of the ever-increasing numbers of Somali journalists killed or wounded while doing their journalistic work".

"Somali journalists face dangerous problems in reporting current issues and events due to prolonged conflict driven by political intolerance" said Omar Faruk Osman, Secretary General of NUSOJ. "This training is very important for journalists to learn how to protect themselves from risks in front of them".

Somalia has become one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists and the most dangerous place in Africa, with four journalists killed since January 2007. The workshop also addressed a variety of security issues often faced by Somali journalists.

NUSOJ is working closely with INSI, a non-governmental organization that was established on 3 May 2003 by a unique coalition of news outfits, journalist unions and humanitarian campaigners, by hiring Somalia Safety Information Coordinator based in Mogadishu. INSI and NUSOJ are planning to hold two more seminars to train fifty Somali journalists.

Partners of the project are Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Endowment for Democracy, International Labour Organisation and Vikes Organisation of Media, Communication and Development.

Source: SomaliNet