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Two journalists on the London-based Somalian channel Universal TV that is distributed internationally via the Internet, have found out to their cost.

During a live broadcast in the Somali language on UniversalTV on 13 September, the show's host Ahmed Hassan known as Awke made some humorous comments that strongly displeased the Djibouti authorities. In short, he said that he had seen many interesting things during a recent visit to Djibouti, such as "bad electricity connections", "mosquitoes", a "high temperature climate" and "two political questions that I will show you in my next programme". He will not now have the opportunity to do so.

President Ismail Omar Guelleh (IOG), in New York at the time for the UN General Assembly, saw red and demanded that the presenter's head roll. The chief of the Djibouti intelligence services Hassan Said Khaireh is believed to have immediately contacted Universal TV's owner, Ahmed Abubakar. The latter initially suspended the incriminated show's joint hosts, Ahmed Awke and his colleague Ms Bisharo Ali Mande, subsequently sending them letters of dismissal on 20 September. Meanwhile, the Djibouti First Lady, Kadra Mahamoud Haid took up Bisharo Ali Bande's defence, and her dismissal was finally cancelled. Ahmed Awke, a reporter during the presidency of the late Siad Barre, and who subsequently worked for the Somali language services of the BBC and VOA is one of the most experienced and widely appreciated Somalian journalists.

Source: African Intelligence