Somalia's attorney general has appointed a special prosecutor for crimes against journalists.

The prosecutor will probe and prosecute “those who carried out killings and maiming of journalists," Dr Suleiman Mohamed Mohamud said in a statement.

He added that perpetrators would face the full force of the law.

This comes four months after the Banadir regional court directed the attorney general’s office to investigate allegations of killing of journalists in the country.

Media advocacy organisations in Somalia have hailed the appointment of the special prosecutor.

A tally by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) indicates that 69 journalists have been killed in Somalia since 1992, making the country one of the deadliest countries for journalists on the continent.