Two unidentified gunmen shot Liban, a correspondent for
Kalsan TV, near his home in the Wajadir village area, north Galkayo, in the
semi-autonomous region of Puntland, local journalists told CPJ. The gunmen fled
before police arrived.
Liban, who was also
known as “Liban Qaran” died before reaching a local hospital, the same
colleagues told CPJ. He is survived by a wife and five children.
An energetic
reporter with vast experience in the field, Liban had previously worked for
Radio SBC (Somali Broadcasting
Corporation), Radio
Daljir, Codka Nabadda
(“Voice of Peace”), and Royal Television.
Local journalists
said they suspected Liban had been targeted for his reporting on the council
elections. The vote was originally scheduled for mid-July 2013, but was
postponed for security concerns, according to news
reports.
Local journalists told CPJ that Ahmed Mohamed Ali, another
Puntland-based journalist and Liban’s former colleague at Codka Nabada in Galkayo,
had received threatening phone calls in
late July after he reported on Liban’s death. The caller told Ahmed that he
would befall the “same fate as Liban Abdullahi,” the journalists told CPJ.