Three Years On: Plotters of Somali Woman Politician Amino Mohamed Abdi's Assassination Remain Uninvestigated

by: Abdalle Mumin | 24 March 2025 14:10

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Three Years On: Plotters of Somali Woman Politician Amino Mohamed Abdi's Assassination Remain Uninvestigated

Her phone rang. MP Amino Mohamed Abdi sat on the sofa in front of me. Though I sensed the weight of the news she had just received, her expression remained unchanged.

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Somali woman parliamentarian, Amino Mohamed Abdi killed in Somalia on 23 March 2022.

Her phone rang. MP Amino Mohamed Abdi sat on the sofa in front of me. Though I sensed the weight of the news she had just received, her expression remained unchanged.

It was early evening in February 2022, and we were at her home in a calm neighborhood in central Mogadishu, Somalia.

"Do not sleep at home tonight; you might be attacked!" the voice on the other end warned.

Later, I learned the caller was a fellow MP. The attack had already been planned—by none other than the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) because Amino was a critic and opposition figure challenging the Mogadishu regime.

I urged her to take the warning seriously. In Somalia, a threat is never just a threat. Even if the danger does not materialize, every warning must be treated with the gravity it deserves.

Luckily, Amino listened. Without hesitation, she called her driver and instructed him to prepare the car and alert her security detail.

That incident was just one among many—threats, assassination attempts, whispered warnings in the dark. She faced them all.

Yet, as we spoke, she remained defiant. She told me she intended to run again in the 2021/2022 elections—fully aware of the dangers, undeterred by the risks. She was fearless, a woman in a space that many believed belonged only to men.

A Life of Struggle and Determination

Amino Mohamed Abdi was born in Mogadishu and attended school there. She once narrated how, at the age of eight, she returned from school one day in 1992 to find her house empty—her family gone, as the Somali Civil War erupted and militias moved into her neighborhood. She later lived with her uncle, himself a member of the Somali parliament.

She was determined, focused, and relentless in her pursuit of justice.

In the midst of male domination, Amino first ran for her parliamentary seat in January 2012. She was bullied and opposed by clan elders and powerful male politicians but eventually won—not just once, but twice.

I first met Amino in mid-2021. Later on, we crossed paths frequently, and she often sought my advice on legislative matters. Among the causes closest to her heart were:

1. The rising killings of tuk-tuk drivers in Mogadishu, which she pushed parliament to debate.

2. The case of Ikran Tahlil, a young Somali woman who was a government employee working in cybersecurity and went missing under mysterious circumstances. I personally became the family’s spokesperson—when no one else dared to. Even I faced threats for speaking out, but silence was never an option.

3. A Parliamentary bill advocating free education for Somali children—a cause she championed tirelessly, having once been a teacher herself.

Whenever Amino Mohamed Abdi needed encouragement, I was there—because I believed in her. She was not just an MP. She was a fighter. The only woman in Somalia’s parliament who had carved out her space in a male-dominated arena—and refused to be silenced or intimidated.

Amino was also a remarkable host. Even with staff at her residence, she would personally attend to guests, making sure everyone felt valued. She had a deep connection with the people, especially young job seekers who saw her as their last hope in a system designed to shut them out.

After a brief period of not seeing each other, I heard she had traveled to Beledweyne, Hiiraan region, in March 2022 to launch her re-election campaign. I prayed for her victory, convinced she had no equal in that race.

The Assassination

Then, on the afternoon of March 23, 2022, she was assassinated. A lone man with a bomb approached and detonated it, ripping through a government compound inside the Hirshabelle presidential palace in Beledweyne, a place supposedly secured by state authorities. She was killed in broad daylight, in the heart of power, despite the presence of additional security forces deployed from Mogadishu at the time.

Amino was just 40 years old.

When the casualties were taken to the hospital, a suicide car bomb then exploded on the road targeting the rescuers.

The attack also claimed the lives of 47 more people and injured 105 others, mostly civilians.

The manner in which the attack unfolded remains suspicious and demands a thorough investigation. First, she was the only politician killed in the attack. Secondly, the suicide bomber, who, according to local sources, wore a government military uniform, managed to enter the heavily fortified presidential compound despite the presence of multiple forces—including African Union peacekeepers, Somali troops deployed from Mogadishu, and local police and military units.

Several locals stated that the suicide bomber had been wandering around for quite some time, asking for Amino’s name. While waiting for her, several other politicians and high-profile officials passed along the same road. He waited specifically for Amino.

If this was a terror attack, why would the suicide bomber specifically look for a young woman in parliament with no high-profile position? Why target her?

The attack not only left many questions unanswered but also strongly suggested that Amino’s murder was political. Soon after her death, her parliamentary seat was swiftly filled—without any serious effort to investigate the circumstances of her assassination.

PHOTO: A week after Amino Mohamed Abdi's death, on 28 March 2022, a mourning event was held in Mogadishu, and I was invited to speak.

A week after her death, on 28 March 2022, a mourning event was held in Mogadishu, and I was invited to speak. I remember saying, "The plotters of the attack should be found, and all responsibility lies with the Somali federal government, as they are required to come clean on this murder." I still stand by that statement.

Three Years On: No Justice

Today, we mark three years since that horrific day. Yet, no investigation has been conducted. Not a single official has been held accountable.

Given the precision of the attack and the deliberate nature of her targeting, serious questions remain:

A. Who ordered her killing?

B. Who facilitated it?

C. Who covered it up?

One day, by the will of Allah, we will have the power to demand answers—and deliver justice.

Rest in power, Amino Mohamed Abdi. Your courage will never be forgotten.

اللهم اجعل قبرها روضةً من رياض الجنة، وأبدلها دارًا خيرًا من دارها، وأهلًا خيرًا من أهلها.اللهم اجعلها من أهل الفردوس الأعلى، وارزقها النور والرحمة والمغفرة، واجمعنا بها في جنات النعيم.Ameen.