Established in 1951 during the period of the Italian run UN Trust Territory of Somaliland, Radio Mogadishu initially broadcast news items in both Somali and Italian.[3][4][5] Radio Mogadishu was modernized with Russian assistance following independence in 1960, and began offering home service in Somali, Amharic and Oromo.[6]
Prior to the Somali Army's ultimate pacification of the capital in August 2011, Radio Mogadishu operated from a walled compound guarded by armed soldiers. The station's staff routinely broadcast news, talk shows and music despite threats of violence.[8]
Radio Mogadishu presently broadcasts from downtown Mogadishu. In the late 2000s, the station also launched a complementary website of the same name, with news items in Somali, Arabic and English.[9] In 2013 Radio Mogadishu started the process of digitization of its archives, which dates back from 1951.[10]
In October 2021 it was announced by the Somali Ministry of Information that programs in Italian would be broadcast again thanks to an agreement with the Italian embassy in Mogadishu.
From January 1, 2022, broadcasts in Italian begin, every day from 2.30 pm to 3.00 pm with a short news program, a musical program and various features.