Mogadishu, Somalia — September 14, 2026: Somali journalists, media organisations and social media influencers have come under a new wave of coordinated online attacks targeting their Facebook profiles and pages, raising fresh concerns about digital safety, media freedom and freedom of expression in Somalia.
The incidents, reported between Sunday and Monday, have affected several prominent Somali journalists, media organisations and digital content creators whose Facebook platforms have large audiences and play an important role in distributing news and information.
Those reportedly affected include:
- Farah Geylan of Geylan Media, which has more than one million followers;
- Abdirisak Atosh of Salbaar Media, which has approximately two million followers;
- Award-winning journalist Abdijaliil Osman of Abdijaliil Show, with nearly 200,000 followers;
- Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Mr Cantuuge, a prominent influencer; and
- Zakaria Mohamud, known as Timacade, a social media personality and content creator.
According to information documented by the Somali Media Women Association (SOMWA), some of the affected Facebook profiles have reportedly been incorrectly marked as memorialized, a status normally used for accounts belonging to deceased individuals. Their associated Facebook pages have also reportedly been disabled or taken offline.
SOMWA says the latest incidents are part of a broader pattern it has been monitoring throughout 2026 involving alleged misuse of Meta’s copyright and Community Standards reporting mechanisms.
The organisation has documented more than 20 cases involving Somali journalists and media outlets. In several cases, SOMWA says, journalists and media organisations have faced repeated copyright claims or allegations of policy violations that they believe are false or abusive.
SOMWA has also received reports that individuals making some of the claims have allegedly demanded money from journalists and media organisations to withdraw complaints or resolve restrictions on their accounts and content.
Impact on media freedom and freedom of expression
The attacks come at a time when Facebook and other social media platforms have become essential channels for Somali journalists and media organisations to reach audiences inside Somalia and across the Somali diaspora.
For media organisations with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers, the sudden disabling of a page can effectively cut off their ability to publish news, reach audiences and generate revenue. The memorialization of an active journalist’s profile can also cause serious reputational harm and create confusion among the public.
SOMWA warns that the repeated use of allegedly fraudulent copyright complaints and platform-policy reports can therefore go beyond an individual social-media dispute and become a threat to media freedom and freedom of expression.
When legitimate journalists are repeatedly forced to defend their accounts against false claims, or when their platforms are removed without effective and timely avenues for appeal, the result can be a chilling effect on journalism and public discourse.
Maryan Seylac, Executive Director of SOMWA, said:
“What we are seeing is deeply concerning because social media platforms are now a critical part of Somalia’s media ecosystem. When journalists and media organisations with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers are suddenly disabled, memorialized or subjected to repeated false claims, their ability to inform the public is directly affected.”
“We urge Meta to treat these cases as more than ordinary content-moderation disputes. There must be stronger safeguards against the coordinated and fraudulent use of copyright and reporting mechanisms to silence journalists, extort money or disrupt legitimate media operations.”
“Protecting freedom of expression does not only mean allowing people to speak. It also means ensuring that journalists can continue to publish, reach their audiences and operate without being targeted through the abuse of platform policies. We need transparent, accessible and timely appeal mechanisms, particularly for journalists and media organisations working in high-risk environments such as Somalia.”
SOMWA calls on Meta to act
SOMWA is calling on Meta to urgently review the latest cases and take steps to prevent the continued abuse of its reporting and copyright systems.
The organisation is specifically calling on Meta to:
- Immediately review and restore wrongly disabled profiles and pages belonging to journalists and legitimate media organisations where no genuine policy violation has occurred.
- Investigate coordinated and potentially fraudulent reporting activity, including repeated copyright claims and Community Standards reports targeting the same journalists or media organisations.
- Prevent the misuse of memorialization procedures against active journalists and public figures.
- Strengthen protections for journalists and media organisations against coordinated online harassment, fraudulent reporting and attempts to manipulate platform enforcement mechanisms.
- Provide timely and transparent appeals, allowing affected journalists and media organisations to understand the basis for restrictions and challenge wrongful decisions.
- Investigate allegations of financial demands associated with the withdrawal of claims, where such evidence is submitted, and take appropriate action against accounts abusing Meta’s systems.
SOMWA says it will continue documenting the cases and working with Meta and other relevant stakeholders to seek the restoration of legitimate media accounts and to strengthen digital protections for Somali journalists.
The organisation stresses that social media companies have become increasingly important to the exercise of freedom of expression and access to information. Ensuring that their systems cannot be manipulated to silence legitimate journalism is therefore an important part of protecting Somalia’s wider media freedom environment.
