Somalia trains journalists to counter Al-Shabaab propaganda and disinformation

Somalia has begun training journalists and social media content producers under a programme supported by the Islamic Military Counter-Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), aimed at strengthening the media’s role in countering extremist propaganda and disinformation.

The Peace Journalists programme was launched in Mogadishu as part of broader cooperation between Somalia and the Saudi Arabia-supported coalition. It is among several initiatives being rolled out through Somali government institutions to tackle terrorism through security, media, financial and ideological measures.

The first training has brought together 40 journalists, academics, media professionals and social media influencers from government and private media organisations across Somalia.

Participants are being equipped with skills to determine whether information circulating online is genuine before using it in their work. The training covers digital verification, open-source intelligence, image and video analysis, network analysis, and the identification of manipulated or deliberately misleading information.

The programme also aims to help media workers understand how extremist organisations use online platforms to spread their messages and reach wider audiences. Participants are being trained to produce content that challenges extremist narratives without inadvertently amplifying them.

Somalia’s Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said the fight against terrorism requires more than military operations, stressing the need to involve other sectors of society in efforts to confront extremist groups.

The minister said Somalia is adopting a broad approach that combines security operations with media, ideological and economic measures as it continues its campaign against terrorism.

IMCTC Secretary General Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi said journalists can play an important role in the fight against terrorism by helping the public distinguish between reliable information and content designed to create confusion or advance extremist causes.

The coalition said the training is intended to strengthen the ability of journalists and other media workers to verify information, identify disinformation, and recognise accounts and content that may be linked to extremist propaganda.

The media programme is part of a wider package of projects being implemented jointly by the coalition and Somalia. More than 10 government institutions are expected to participate in the cooperation, including agencies and ministries responsible for defence, internal security, information, finance, religious affairs, national security, immigration and communications.

According to information released by Somali authorities, the projects will also address terrorism financing, military affairs and ideological efforts.

The cooperation follows earlier discussions between Somalia and the coalition on projects to be implemented in the country, with the latest activities expanding the partnership into the media sector.

The initiative comes as Somalia continues military operations against Al-Shabaab, while authorities also step up efforts to prevent the group from using propaganda, recruitment messages and online platforms to influence the public.