Somalia Trains Journalists as New Frontline Against Digital Extremism

The programme brought together journalists from state and private media organizations, as well as digital content creators. Participants received training  identifying extremist narratives, countering disinformation and hate speech, verifying digital content, analyzing propaganda, and developing effective counter-narratives. The closing ceremony was attended by senior government, security, and military officials, including Somalia's Representative to the IMCTC, Brigadier General Abdirahman Mohamed Turyare, and the coalition's Head of Media, Colonel Fahad Ammar Al-Qahtani. Officials emphasized that the fight against terrorism requires more than military and security operations, highlighting the media's role in countering extremist ideology, raising public awareness, and strengthening peace and social cohesion. The initiative also focused on modern digital threats, including fake accounts, coordinated influence operations, online recruitment, and the spread of extremist propaganda. Participants were introduced to digital verification, open-source investigations, image and video analysis, and techniques for analyzing online networks and extremist discourse. The "Peace Journalists" initiative is part of broader cooperation between Somalia and the IMCTC to strengthen national media capacity and help journalists become an active partner in countering terrorism, disinformation, and hate speech while promoting public safety and stability.