When the Bulldozer Comes Home: Two State Journalists Turn Critics

Mogadishu (WDN) — Two veteran journalists who spent years working for Somalia’s state media and defending government policies have now become outspoken critics of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s displacement policies after reportedly finding themselves and their families among those affected by demolitions in Mogadishu.

Mustaf War Caddeeye and Ismaaciil Orange, who reportedly worked for the national media for nearly two decades, have recently spoken through independent media against the government’s ongoing land-clearance operations. The irony is difficult to miss.

For years, they were among the voices defending the government while other Somalis watched their homes demolished. Now that the bulldozer has reportedly reached their own neighborhoods, their tone has changed dramatically.

Their experience raises an uncomfortable question: how different might their position be if government policies had never reached their own doorstep?