Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition launches media initiative in Somalia

The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) has launched a strategic media initiative titled ‘Peace Media Professionals’ in Mogadishu, Somalia. Supported by Saudi Arabia, the program aims to strengthen national media capabilities to combat extremist discourse, hate speech, and disinformation campaigns in digital spaces.

The initiative includes a specialized training program titled ‘Analyzing Extremist and Hate Speech in Digital Media: Smart Confrontation Tools and Techniques.’ The training is designed for 40 participants, including journalists, academics, and media specialists, focusing on digital verification, open-source intelligence, and identifying coordinated influence operations.

The launch event was attended by high-level Somali officials, including Defense Minister and Army Commander Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, alongside IMCTC Secretary-General Major General Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Mughidi. Somali officials emphasized that countering terrorism requires more than military action, necessitating a responsible media discourse to immunize societies against radicalization and digital propaganda.