FESOJ completes Training on Understanding and Reporting Climate and Environmental Conflicts in Somalia
Mogadishu, Friday, April 25, 2025: The Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ) has successfully concluded a two- day training workshop aimed at enhancing the understanding and reporting of climate and environmental conflicts in Somalia.
Held from April 22nd to 23rd, the training brought together 25 participants, including journalists, representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Greenlight Organization focused on environmental protection and legal professionals.
The sessions were facilitated by senior media trainers from FESOJ, VIKES and CAFIS.
Mr. Wali Hashi, Somalia Project Specialist at VIKES, and Ms. Habiba Alasow, a seasoned media expert based in Nairobi, Kenya, were also among the key facilitators of the training workshop. Their contributions were instrumental in enriching the program and delivering valuable insights to the participants.
Discussions covered the connection between climate change and the rise of terrorism, local understanding of food insecurity and climate change, a regional comparison between East Africa and the global climate impact, and the ethics and responsibilities of environmental conflict reporting.
“This important training workshop, organized by FESOJ and CAFIS with support from the European Union, aims to empower journalists and other professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to report on climate change and raise public awareness,” said Abdullahi Hayir Duale, Director General of the Ministry of Information of the Federal Government of Somalia stated in his opening remarks.
He added, “Climate change is contributing to resource scarcity, which in turn fuels local conflicts. According to various reports, these conflicts are being exploited by Al Shabaab to recruit vulnerable youth who are directly affected by these environmental and socio-economic challenges.”
Furthermore, Mohamed Kaafi Sheikh Abukar , Director of the SNTV and Fartuun Ahmed Hassan , Director of labour and training department of the Ministry of Information, urged the journalists and other members to take advantage of the training program on understanding and reporting climate change and environmental conflicts.
Farah Omar Nur, Secretary General of FESOJ emphasized the goal of the workshop, stating that the training is designed to equip journalists and media professionals with the skills to effectively report on climate change-related issues, communicate their impacts to the public, and contribute to raising awareness and promoting informed dialogue on environmental challenges.
During the two- day training proceedings, the participants have made analysis by engaging in groups discussion on the following key topics: climate change and the rise of terrorism, local understanding of food insecurity and climate change, regional comparison – East Africa Vs Global climate impact and the responsibility and ethics of environmental conflict reporting.
With the group discussion sessions, the participants have been given opportunity to exchange different views on how to improve the journalists’ role in strengthening in improving understanding and reporting climate and environmental conflicts in Somalia through the media.
In conclusion, Mohamed Deeq Yusuf Moalim, one of the participating journalists, expressed that the training significantly enhanced his understanding of how to report on climate change and its impacts within the Somali context, particularly in relation to recurring challenges such as droughts and floods. He extended his appreciation to FESOJ and its partners for providing this valuable opportunity.
Ruqiya Abdirisaq Hassan, a Law University student shared her experience stating, “Through this training, we gained deeper insights into climate change and environmental issues, and how to address the associated challenges and conflicts through responsible and impactful media reporting.”
In his closing remarks, Farah Omar Nir, Secretary General of FESOJ, emphasized the importance of the initiative: “Strengthening journalists’ capacity to understand and report on conflict-related climate issues has been one of our key priorities. This training brought together university students, representatives from environmental organizations, the Ministry of Environment, and media professionals. We are grateful to the EU, VIKES, and CAFIS for supporting this important capacity-building program.
The training is part of a program funded by the European Union (EU), supported by VIKES and implemented by FESOJ in partnership with CAFIS.
