CBC INTERVIEWS SOMALI CANADIAN WHO WAS WITH FORMER MOGADISHU MAYOR HOURS BEFORE ATTACK

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This Canadian woman was with Mogadishu's mayor hours before attack that killed him
MOGADISHU MAYOR KILLED
Guest: Hodan Ali

CH: Abdirahman Omar Osman fled war-torn Somalia in the early 90s. But after spending years in the UK, he returned to Mogadishu with a vision for a city free of violence. Last Thursday Mr. Osman -- the mayor of Mogadishu -- died after he was injured in an attack at his office on July 24th. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility. Hodan Ali is a Somali-Canadian nurse practitioner who left her family in Ontario and moved to Mogadishu three years ago. She was both a friend and an advisor to Mayor Osman. She was at his office just hours before the bomb went off. We reached Hodan Ali in Mogadishu.

PC: Ms. Ali how did you learn about the attack?

HODAN ALI: I had just arrived at a place where I was having coffee and some snack, just finished the meeting, and a friend of mine who was sitting next to me said the municipality has been bombed and the mayor is injured. I was like "What?! That's not possible. I just came from there." And I tried to make some calls trying to sort of confirm. I was unable to get through to anyone because some of the phones were busy and others were just ringing and not being picked up. As I tried to frantically call every phone number I can remember more information was being passed through the friend who was with me through social media and the like. And unfortunately what I had feared the most was true -- an internal attack on the municipality severely injuring the mayor and killing several colleagues.

PC: I'm sorry.

HA: It's very difficult.

PC: Now you said you had just come from there. How close of a call was this for you?

HA: Extremely close. We had just spent the entire morning and early afternoon conducting a meeting with the new secretary general representative to Somalia -- Mr. James Swan made a courtesy call to the municipality and the mayor and I really spent about two hours with him that morning. He left about 11:30-ish. And then after that I had done some more work in the office and decided to leave 2 p.m. after the mayor had just left. And after that meeting is when I had gone to the coffee shop that I mentioned and that's where I learned of the tragedy.

PC: What do you know about the attacker?

HA: She was I mean by all accounts not a suspect to anyone. A blind young woman, extremely articulate, intelligent young woman who was a passionate advocate for those disabled. And her office was next to mine. The mayor appointed her as a director for disability in the region. By all accounts this was not someone that you ever expect to commit such atrocity. And I think this is another part why this attack is much scarier than all the others and it puts our security at a much bigger concern.

PC: Given what you've just said, why do you think she may have done this?

HA: I don't think there's any way of comprehending it but from what I've seen and what I do see are youth who've been brainwashed into thinking what they're doing is somehow religiously viable and that they are killing in the name of Islam but truly is the most un-Islamic act to take the life of an innocent human being. There's many layers to why young people join these extremist elements in particularly post-conflict, very fragile, and economically disadvantaged youth. Particularly she's of someone with disability -- she probably faced a lot more challenges. But it also speaks to the fact that we're not doing enough to gain back the trust and the confidence of the youth and they are able to fall prey to ideologies that are such against humanity and I think for her to sort of take her own life and take the lives of 10 other people is something fundamentally a challenge that this country faces -- I mean in other places not just particular to this country.

PC: Tell me about Mayor Osman -- what was he like and what does the death of him mean for Mogadishu and Somalia?

HA: Mayor Osman also known as Engineer Yarisow. He was you know the youngest in his engineering class, and the term "yarisow" indicates sort of someone of small petite figure but also an age much younger than his classmates. He was a true patriot -- very dedicated to this country, came back from the diaspora as well. He lived in the UK, raising a family, chose to come back to Somalia to be part of the rebuilding. An amazing human being, compassionate, patient, very humble, but really invested in seeing Somalia beat this evil of terror. In terms of for the city, it's a great loss. I think Mogadishans feel orphaned today. He had a dream, a vision of making this city great again. He used to reminisce every time that we had visitors come to the municipality he would always open you know. Mogadishu was known as the Riviera of Africa where you know European tourists would prefer to vacation. So that really what he hung onto in terms of memory from his youth and he wanted to bring Mogadishu to that point in further. And that's how he lived every day in terms of how he governed.

PC: You mentioned that he had moved abroad and come back to help improve life in Somalia and so have you and so many other Somalis who've left your home country and gone abroad and have gone back. Why has it been so important for you to move to Somalia?

HA: I think like many others who left and have come back there's a sense of duty, a sense of honor in wanting to come back and contribute to improve the conditions of millions whichever little small contribution we can all make. As you know recently we also lost a Canadian journalist Hodan Nalayeh who chose to come back, who was a good friend of mine. I think there's a calling for some of us who have been blessed to either live in Canada or in the United Kingdom and benefit from that privilege of being a Canadian or a Brit with all the education and all that life has given us the opportunity and want to share that and contribute that to the resurgence of Somalia you know to make it a place where all of us in the end if we wanted to come back permanently can live. And I think Mayor Yarisow really was passionate about that. He always talked about wanting his children to return to a safer more habitable Somalia.

PC: How fearful are you for your life? You've lost two good friends in the last month. We spoke to you back in 2017 after another attack in Somalia left 600 people dead. We know that Somalia has great things but it can be quite a dangerous place and I am wondering if you're thinking about leaving and how fearful you are for your life?

HA: Yes I remember 2017 -- we have connected over the biggest tragedy that this country has faced you know in terms of loss...that was huge. But what happened on July 24th probably has a bit more impact and it is more painful because it hits so close -- being there for a couple hours but also in the heart of the municipality with all kinds of layers of security breached and the mayor being killed among other nine. How scared I am? I think this one has really resonated a lot more than any other attacks that have happened in the city. Am I scared? Absolutely. Am I considering to leave? Yes. Haven't made that final choice yet but that is something very real. I have a family. They constantly have been on the phone asking me to leave -- at minimum take a break. You know we all come back knowing Mogadishu is a dangerous place. But this attack is different from all the other -- and the place where we felt most secure has been violated. And I think that is probably the biggest tragedy that we have right now.

PC: Ms. Ali as you said you have three children who live in the West. You are Canadian. And you said I'm mulling over whether to stay in Somalia or whether to leave. How do you even make that decision?

HA: It's not an easy decision. Like I said you know three kids, husband, mom, sisters, friends who are desperately worried about me and I absolutely understand that. And then there's also the part of me that's been here for such a long time that sees the need not to leave because if people like me leave...it just leaves you know that space for others to fill in that vacuum. And we lose the bigger picture. And I think sacrifices sometimes are made for a greater purpose. Not that I'm wanting to sacrifice my life but I'm saying in terms of why I still keep coming back to it...this is home. I have a home in Canada and I love what Canada has given me and that's a big part of me. But there's also that sense of duty that you know if all of us who are in a place -- in a capacity -- to have effect don't come back or leave because it's more safer and convenient I think that would plunge this country into a deeper hole than it is. So it's a struggle. It's not something light or easy. Either way, if I go it's not easy and if I stay it's not easy. So it really is a huge challenge.

PC: Well Ms. Ali please stay safe and thank you for talking with me today. I do appreciate you making the time and I'm sorry again for the loss of your friend.

HA: Thank you Piya. Take care.

CH: Hodan Ali is a Somali-Canadian nurse practitioner who was friends with the late mayor of Mogadishu, Abdirahman Omar Osman. We reached her in Mogadishu. And there's more on this story on our website: cbc.ca/aih.

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