In the early morning of May 29, 2022, I woke up to the terrible news of the death of my friend, the long-time peace activist Abdullahi Shirwac. Following a sudden stroke, he was in a coma for about a week in a local hospital in Mogadishu where he died. It was entirely unexpected heartbreaking news for me as well as his close family, friends, and acquaintances. I could not digest the news for a while. Read more
After almost three years away (two years and 9 months to be exact), I traveled back to Beledweyne for a short assignment. The last time I was there was in December 2018. That previous trip was my first return to the town after 8 years away. At that time, I wrote a blog post titled ‘Back to Beledweyne eight years later’. I was excited to go back to the town again. I spent three good years in Beledweyne between 2006 and 2009 studying at a secondary school. These three years shaped my life in many ways. I also learned many tough lessons from the fragile security situation, recurrent floods, and armed clashes. Read more