By Abdullahi Abdi 

A joint report published on July 3, 2025, by Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) and ARD, a consortium of public regional broadcasters, has sparked backlash from the diaspora and media analysts for accusing Somali influencers of promoting violence.

The report, titled “From Germany, ‘war influencers’ incite violence in Somalia,” and led by DW East Africa Bureau’s Nairobi-based Mariel Müller, targets Ayub Abdirisaaq and Yacqwub Siyaad but does so using vague sources, inflammatory language, and with little input from Somali voices. A closer look reveals serious flaws in the reporting, as well as dangerous implications for Somali communities in Germany and beyond.

Despite relying heavily on unnamed sources and offering little to no Somali perspective, Mariel Müller accused Ayub Abdirisaaq of spreading hate speech, raising funds for weapons, and giving tactical advice.

An investigation by Isbahaysi into publicly available content from Ayub Abdirisaaq, known as Captain Ayuub, shows he primarily advocates resistance against Al-Shabaab and ISIS terror groups linked to Al-Qaeda and international jihadist networks a stance shared by many in the Somali diaspora.

The report appeared to take issue with Ayuub’s vocal support for the war against these groups, whom he regularly criticised in his online content. It seemed to target him for speaking out, despite Germany’s constitutional protections for free expression.

In unsupported allegation, the article links Ayub to piracy without solid evidence, relying only on what it claims is an anonymous source close to the Puntland Presidency, who says Ayuub was among the hijackers holding ships and hostages for ransom during the peak years of piracy off the Horn of Africa. 

The report also cites two seamen from a ship captured in 2010 who described one of their captors as “Ayub,” saying he was tall, slim, and had a deep, resonant voice. The article uses this vague account to suggest Ayub was a pirate despite “Ayub” being a common name, and no verifiable link being established between him and the hijackers.

Mariel Müller has been criticised for alleged ties to northern Somali separatists and Sahan Research Center, a group banned in Somalia and accused of pushing foreign interests. Sahan’s Canadian-born leader, Matt Bryden, is alleged to have spied, advanced foreign agendas, and sold UN reports. He has strong separatist links, and Sahan is widely believed to have fed Müller and Esther Felden key material. Critics say the report was pushed by Sahan.

Müller’s reporting focuses exclusively on Puntland-affiliated voices, overlooking similar rhetoric from Somaliland-linked influencers, who often provoke one another for relevance and to generate income from social media. Her investigation exposes two pro-Puntland voices but shows no effort to examine pro-Somaliland mobilisers who also fundraise and justify attacks on cities like Las Anod.

Ayub and Yacqwub are depicted as “war influencers,” while pro-Somaliland voices with similar rhetoric and fundraising efforts face no such criticism. By focusing only on one side, the report unfairly blames Puntland supporters. Müller also downplays Ayub’s standing among Somalis who oppose extremist violence, instead painting him as a threat.

The reporting targets the Somali community broadly, portraying Somali migrants as violent and primitive by highlighting pirate pasts, clan feuds, and childhood gunfights without context. 

It suggests refugees fail to integrate and pose a security threat, feeding anti-immigration sentiment in Germany and Europe while framing Somali communities as opaque, untrustworthy, and tolerant of hate speech.

The article depicts Ayub as abusing European generosity for welfare and a “nice life,” mocks his return to Somalia, shows Somali men with weapons linked to piracy and welfare abuse, fueling far-right, Islamophobic, and anti-Black stereotypes of violent, untrustworthy migrants. 

It stokes panic without context or solutions, and by quoting Ayub on welfare without nuance, DW reinforces tired xenophobic tropes that shame refugees, summed up by the line: “They speak Somali — and hardly anyone understands it.”

The report also focuses on the conflict between Somaliland and Khatumo State and Ayub’s support for Khatumo. However, the violence is not accurately reported. The events in Las Anod in February 2023 which are central to understanding Somali grievances are oversimplified or ignored.

DW merely notes: Violence erupted in Las Anod… Hundreds … killed … hundreds of thousands displaced. The report doesn’t explain what caused the violence it leaves out the shelling by Somaliland forces, the impact on civilians, and appeals from groups like the UN and Amnesty International. This hurts the credibility of the article. It also misrepresents Ayub’s posts, making them seem like unprovoked aggression instead of a reaction to attacks on civilians.

As it stands, Somalia remains unsafe for Ayub, who is reportedly on a wanted list by Al-Shabaab, which sees him as someone pushing others to fight back against them. 

At the same time, an investigation by Isbahaysi did not find any incident where Ayub supported clan-based violence. The only conflicts he has publicly endorsed are against Al-Shabaab and ISIS, along with his support for Khatumo State’s efforts to assert control over its territory.

Many Somalis do not see Ayub as a warmonger, but as someone defending civilians from Al-Shabaab’s brutal attacks. This is a different version of the person depicted in Müller’s report that leaves out important context and relies on stereotypes that vilify refugees. By not explaining real issues, the report risks fuelling anti-refugee sentiment and harming Somali communities.