Nelly Bassily | September 27, 2010
Security along the Kenya/Somalia border has deteriorated in recent months. This interview is a very personal story of how the internal conflict in Somalia is affecting Kenyan communities that live near the Somali border.
Recent news stories regarding the situation and how it is affecting different groups of people can be accessed here:
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=90505 – how insecurity along the border affects humanitarian and relief activities
http://af.reuters.com/article/kenyaNews/idAFLDE66J1TM20100720?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true − a report on clashes between Kenyan security forces and a Somali rebel group
http://allafrica.com/stories/201005290005.html − a story about trading across the border
Be creative about how you use the interview material. You could use some of the quotes in a piece your station prepares about the conflict. You could interview farmers or other people to comment or add to the information. If you choose to use the piece as it is, you may want to get an actor or another person to read the whole interview. Be sure to tell listeners that the voice they hear is not that of Mohamed Barre Ali.
Reporting on conflict requires extra attention to detail. Here is one online resource with links to more information, and a useful checklist of things to consider when covering conflicts: http://www.beyondintractability.org/user_guides/journalists/?nid=5143.
Farm Radio Weekly published a short checklist for conflict-sensitive journalism in 2008, which you can access here: http://weekly.farmradio.org/2008/04/21/a-checklist-for-conflict-sensitive-journalism/.