Female Journalist Killed: Rahmo Abdulqadir Farah Murdered By Somali Gunmen, Third Media Worker Death This Year

25-year-old Somali journalist, Rahmo Abdulqadir Farah, was shot and killed by two gunmen in Mogadishu on Sunday. She worked at the private Radio Abduwaq station. Somalia is arguably one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist. Farah's death raises this year's journalist death toll to three. In 2012, 18 media workers were killed, doubling the previous record high.

Radio Abduwaq station director announced Farah's death with the following statement:

"One of our female staff members was shot and killed in Mogadishu. We don't know why she was killed but we are in shock."

According to eye-witness Abdi Moalin Shire, "Two men armed with pistols shot the woman... they fired their guns five times before fleeing."

"There was another girl who accompanied the victim but the gunmen did not target her, she ran away screaming for help," said Issa Mohamed, another witness.

Again, this is the third journalist to be murdered this year. In January, a Radio Shabelle journalist was shot to death while another was killed in a suicide bombing earlier this month. These are common attacks on Somali journalists. Last month, the Somali government offered $50,000 as a reward for information leading to the "successful conviction of a journalist killer".

Somalia has been full of conflict since 1991 but a new government backed by the United Nations took power last year. Many feel that this new government offers a very serious hope for stability, the first since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre over two decades ago.