Somalia launches anti-al-Shabab TV channel

Somalia has launched a new TV channel named Daljir to counter al-Shabab’s propaganda as the government intensifies its media campaign against the al-Qaeda-allied militant group.

The state media reported that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud inaugurated the SNTV Daljir (Somali National TV Daljir) channel – which “will focus on anti-Khawarij (al-Shabab) operations”.

Days earlier, the government said it had shut down over 500 social media accounts spreading al-Shabab’s ideologies.

Al-Shabab has a sophisticated media machinery that includes several affiliated media outlets and dozens of accounts across social media platforms.

On 8 October, the government banned local media from disseminating “extremist ideology messages” that would “endanger national security”.

The information ministry said the crackdown on pro-militant media was part of “an all-out war” against al-Shabab that President Mohamud declared in August.