Feminist Peace Network

Madina Mahamud Ilmi, a Somali activist, has been killed:

“A popular Somali aid worker, described by her colleagues as a champion of the vulnerable and disadvantaged, has died after she was hit by a stray bullet while distributing food at camp for the displaced on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

Madina Mahamud Ilmi, a mother of nine in her late 50s, was seriously wounded in the accident on 15 November and died the next day at the Medina hospital, her colleague Abdullahi Shirwa told IRIN.

Ilmi, popularly known as “Madina General”, was a prominent civil society personality in the Somali capital.”

“In the 1990s, to highlight the disillusionment with warlords running the city, Ilmi and 60 other women formed a group called Horseedka Nabada iyo Nolosha (Leaders for Peace and Life) to advocate a peaceful resolution to Somalia’s civil war.

Shaour, a founder member, said the group also set up a support system for thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the city.

A local journalist, who requested anonymity, said Ilmi was “never afraid” of the dangers of her work.

“She had this attitude that what will happen will happen. It is what you do when you are here that matters,” he said. “It was fitting that she was killed while doing what she liked most, helping those who not could help themselves.”"

Filed under: Uncategorized, Atrocities, Sheroes