allafrica: Bosaso TV And Radio Station Shut Down
The leaders of Puntland, an autonomous Somali region, have withdrawn the broadcasting licence of the Somali Broadcasting Corporation, based in Bosaso. Authorities have claimed the broadcaster breached press laws, but others claim they were shut down for supporting political opponents of Puntland’s leadership.
“At around 10 am [07:00 GMT] yesterday [Wednesday], we received an official letter informing us that our licence had been withdrawn and we should, therefore, shut the station down,” SBC manager Ali Abdi Aware said. “As I am speaking to you, we are off the air in Bosaso,” he added.According to Aware, the authorities accused the SBC of breaking the region’s press laws.
Other sources in Bosaso told IRIN that the SBC had been targeted for perceived bias against the Puntland leader, Col Abdullahi Yusuf, and “supporting and the interim government in Mogadishu and Jama Ali Jama [the former Puntland leader]”.
Abdullahi Yusuf’s forces took control of Bosaso on 8 May, after forces loyal to his rival for the presidency of the region, Jama Ali Jama, withdrew without a fight.