Somali journalists refuse to follow rebels' orders
The BBC reported on Thursday (23 September 2010) that members of staff at the radio and TV broadcaster GBC in Mogadishu had walked out of the station after refusing to follow orders from Islamist militants. GBC was seized on Saturday by Hizbul Islam rebels, who said the station was to only transmit Islamic messages.
The group's attack has been condemned by the Federation of Somali journalists, which was established this week to advocate the rights of media workers in the country. Meanwhile, world leaders met at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday to discuss Somalia's spiralling crisis.
The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon called on the international community to support the Somali government, while the African Union appealed for funding to strengthen its armed forces in the country.