Security forces in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region apprehended Jamal Osman, a reporter for British broadcaster Channel 4, on Sunday, according to reports from the private news site Puntland Post.
Jamal Osman, recognised with a Rory Peck award in 2022 for his investigative feature on al-Shabab, was taken into custody shortly after he arrived in the regional capital, Garowe.
The Puntland Post indicated that Osman was transported from the airport to Garowe town, where officials from the Puntland intelligence agency initiated questioning. Neither Channel 4 nor Puntland authorities have issued statements regarding the incident.
Sources close to the matter have reportedly stated that Osman is expected to be deported later. This incident follows Osman’s brief detention in Mogadishu in 2022, shortly after his arrival from an undisclosed location.
Having reported on various aspects of Somalia’s complex landscape, including al-Shabab activities, piracy in the Horn of Africa, and the country’s enduring instability since 2008, Osman’s investigative piece titled “Inside al-Shabab,” broadcasted on Channel 4 in 2022, garnered significant attention. However, it also drew criticism from the Somali government, which accused him of advancing al-Shabab’s ideologies.
Jamal Osman previously contributed to the BBC in 2019, particularly covering the aftermath of a deadly al-Shabab assault on a hotel in southern Somalia.