Somalia: A prominent peace activist dies in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A leading peace and civil society activist in Somalia has passed away, his immediate family has confirmed, in what has been termed as a serious setback to the teams organizing reconciliation in a country that has struggled with instability for decades.

Abdullahi Mohamed Shirwa, a much-loved activist, died on Saturday night after illness, state media reported. Abdullahi spent most of his adult life trying to pacify communities in Somalia. He was the co-founder, and chair of the Somali Peace Line civil society organization.

Since the ouster of Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has never enjoyed peace and there have been deliberate efforts to unite the country, which is also battling with Al-Shabaab menace. Al-Shabaab first emerged in 2007 and has been terrorizing people in the country and across the borders.

The death of Abdullahi Mohamed Shirwa is a big loss for Somalia according to analysts who have previously covered his peace initiatives. Recently he led the team that collected $4.4M for the victims of the Zobe explosion, which helped 1000s including 1,547 orphans, per VOA's Harun Maruf.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud termed the death a "huge blow" to the fragile nation and asked the world to pray for his family. The president, who assumed office last week, noted that the country should emulate the activist by preaching peace across the nation.

Mohamed Hussein Roble, who is the Prime Minister, also mourned the deceased as a selfless leader who "used available resources" to bolster peace in the country. Similar tributes were passed by Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni.

His death comes at the time Somalia's new government has called upon the world to chip in and assist in the peacebuilding network. The US has already confirmed that it is dispatching close to 500 soldiers who will help the country in stabilizing.

The African Union Mission Forces [ATMIS] has already started plans to hand over security responsibilities to the Somali National Army [SNA] but the program is likely to take a little bit longer because of the rising Al-Shabaab threat in the voice.

GAROWE ONLINE