A press rights watchdog condemned on Wednesday the attempted murder of the last woman openly working as a journalist in Somalia's northern Puntland region.
Reporters Without Borders said Bisharo Mohammed Waeys, a talk show presenter on the privately-owned Eastern Television Network, was driving to her home in Bosasso on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on her car. She sped away and was unhurt.
The next day she received two text messages threatening her life if she did not stop working at the station.
Given her "independent character" and that she presented her show unveiled, the watchdog said it suspected the Islamist al Shabaab militants who have killed Somali journalists in the past.
"Waeys's forced descent into life under guard symbolises a serious step backwards for Somalia since the outbreak of war between the transitional government and Islamic insurgents," the press freedom organisation said in a statement.
Here's the RSF news release.