[3] On December 12, 1999, Ahmed Abdisalam Adan, Mohamed Elmi, and Ali Iman Sharmarke officially opened HornAfrik Media Inc. in Mogadishu, Somalia.
HornAfrik provided news and aired talk shows for Somalis as an alternative to propaganda delivered by media outlets owned by local faction leaders.
HornAfrik broadcast content such as BBC and CNN programs, as well as call-in shows that enabled people to express their views on topics of peace, religion, culture, health, women's issues, education, and economy.
[3][4] Adan and his partners' work to support free speech and air important local issues earned the ire of Islamist extremists and faction leaders, who sought to maintain control of the capital.
[2][12][13] Adan and the other founders of HornAfrik Media Inc. earned praise for their work and the support of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE).