Somalia launches media training to combat terrorist disinformation

Forty Somali journalists, media professionals, and social media influencers have completed a four-day specialized training course in Mogadishu. The program, conducted in collaboration with the IMCTC, is designed to strengthen Somalia's ability to counter terrorist propaganda and online disinformation.

Participants from public and private media outlets, digital platforms, and federal member states learned practical skills to identify false information, analyze images and video, detect fake accounts, and report extremist claims responsibly. The initiative addresses the growing trend of Al-Shabaab and ISIS-Somalia (Daesh) utilizing the information environment as an operational front.

The training aims to mitigate the impact of recycled footage, fabricated locations, and invented casualty figures that can spread rapidly through messaging groups. By improving accuracy and verification skills, the program seeks to prevent falsehoods from undermining public trust or providing terrorists with psychological advantages during security incidents.