Media in Somalia

FM radio is central to news, public information and emergency communication in Somalia. Radio Muqdisho is the official state radio service, while private, community and federal member state stations provide additional programming. UNESCO has recorded more than 65 private radio broadcasters nationwide, with about 25 operators in Mogadishu. Actual reach and programming depend on security, frequency access, licensing, language and local conditions. Television includes state broadcaster SNTV and private services, but regular access can require a television, electricity, satellite equipment or other reception costs. SONNA is the state news agency. Private newspapers, online outlets and diaspora media operate alongside broadcast services. Print distribution remains limited by security conditions, transport and cost, while online news continues to grow. YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, podcasts and mobile video or audio provide practical alternatives to a separately regulated local streaming market. Access is often episodic because bandwidth, mobile-data prices, device availability and charging affect use. A 2023 order documented restrictions on TikTok and Telegram; current enforcement is not uniform across Somalia. In January 2025, Somalia had about 11.3 million mobile connections, equal to 58.3% of the population, and about 10.7 million internet users, equal to 55.2%. Social-media identities numbered about 3.05 million, or 15.8%; identities do not necessarily represent unique people. These figures do not mean that every household has reliable access. Internally displaced people, women and rural communities can face stronger barriers caused by insecurity, network coverage, cost, electricity, devices and social constraints. The Federal Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, commonly called MoICT, works within the federal media system. The National Communications Authority, or NCA, regulates communications, licensing and spectrum under the National Communications Law 2017. A complete NCA application with the required documents and fees can take up to 45 working days for an individual licence and up to 14 working days for a new class licence. Fees depend on the applicable schedule. Registration and accreditation practices can differ between federal and regional authorities, and no reliable nationwide journalist accreditation fee or deadline is established in the available evidence. Federal rules do not automatically apply in the same way in Puntland, other federal member states or Somaliland. Somaliland has de facto separate governance, including its own Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. The Provisional Constitution protects the receipt and dissemination of information and freedom of media, including electronic and web media, in Article 18(1) and (2). The amended Media Law signed in 2020 provides for registration, a Media Council, complaints and duties for journalists and media organisations, but its implementation and institutional independence remain contested. The Data Protection Act No. 005/2023 protects privacy and personal data, and the Somalia Data Protection Authority, or SDPA, provides a complaint and enforcement channel for unlawful personal-data processing. Security practice can still override legal safeguards. Security reporting has led to restrictions and detentions, and a 2026 Penal Code draft creates a further criminalisation risk but is not enacted law. Journalism in Somalia includes professional, citizen, diaspora and NGO-supported reporting. NUSOJ’s State of Media Report 2025 recorded 72 media-freedom violations and one journalist killed, while SJS recorded two deaths including a media worker; the different totals reflect differences in scope and definitions. Arrests, threats, assaults, censorship and harassment affect journalists. Al-Shabaab, state, regional and security actors, as well as clan and political pressure, create particular risks for corruption and security reporting. Threats, mass reporting and account takeovers can also target journalist accounts, leading to self-censorship. NUSOJ, FESOJ and SOMWA provide association, training, safety or support functions, but no reliable independent nationwide media ombudsman remedy is established. Social media supports news distribution, political speech, diaspora links, mobilisation and public discussion through services such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X and WhatsApp. The same channels can expose users to misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, incitement, doxxing, surveillance, online gender-based violence, recruitment propaganda and loss of privacy. A 2023 order cited extremist content, nudity and gambling in restrictions on some platforms, while access and enforcement vary by region. Young people use mobile, social, video and radio media extensively, and projects such as radio call-ins, digital storytelling and the 2026 UNESCO Youth Media Lab support civic participation and digital skills. Somalia has no comprehensive nationwide child and youth media-protection or media-literacy system evidenced in the available research. People can participate through call-in radio, talk shows, community media, online comments, citizen reporting, diaspora channels, advocacy, fact-checking and media-literacy projects. Participation can be limited by insecurity, clan or political pressure, gender norms, weak connectivity and the risk of retaliation. International Somali-language services such as BBC Somali, VOA Somali and Radio Ergo, together with NGO, UN and international broadcasters, provide functional alternatives but do not replace national guarantees. Users should distinguish the federal system from regional practice, check who operates a channel, protect personal data and verify sensitive claims through more than one reliable source.