Text of report by Risdel Kasasira entitled “AU to start radio in Somalia” published by leading privately-owned Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor website on 24 June
The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia will soon start a radio station in Mogadishu. The Defence/Army Spokesperson, Maj Felix Kulayigye yesterday told Daily Monitor that African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) has already procured the radio equipment. “The machines are already in East Africa. We are training those who will be handling radio programmes,” he said
According to a military source, the radio will be a mouthpiece of the transitional government led by Sheikh Sharif to bolster its campaign against the Islamist hardliners who have been calling for general upraising in the country against the AU force. However Maj Kulayigye denied that the setting up of the radio is intended to counter war propaganda by the Islamist fundamentalists in Somalia.
He said the radio will broadcast educative programmes and the need to have a peaceful Somalia. “I don’t want to speculate. Let us wait for the radio to start. But, what I can tell you is that, it will run educative programmes,” he said.
(Source: Daily Monitor website, Kampala, in English 24 Jun 09 via BBC Monitoring)
