Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has an estimated urban population of 2,610,483.
Galkayo is the third-largest city in Somalia which serves as the capital of the north-central Mudug region.
Mohamed Haji Mukhtar is a Somali scholar and writer currently in the United States.
Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys (English: Hassan Dahir Aweys (Somali: Xasan Daahir Aweys, is a Somali Islamist political figure.
Over the course of the Somali Civil War, there have been many revolutionary movements and militia groups run by competing rebel leaders which have held de facto control over vast areas within Somalia.
The Alliance for the Re–liberation of Somalia (ARS) was a political party formed in Eritrea during September 2007 as the successor to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) during the Ethiopian military occupation of Somalia. It served as the principal political opposition to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and participated in the 2007 and 2008 years of the insurgency.
Nur Hassan Hussein, popularly known as Nur Adde, was a Somali politician, who served as Prime Minister of Somalia from November 2007 to February 2009. He was from Mogadishu and part of the Abgaal sub-clan of the Hawiye.
The Hiraab clan, is a prominent Somali clan belonging to the larger Hawiye clan. Renowned for its influential role, the Hiraab clan has produced numerous significant leaders within Somalia, including six presidents, the first president and prime minister of Somalia, and various other prominent figures. The clan's historical contributions include pioneering military leadership roles, and establishing a foundational influence in Somalia.
Mohamed Abdi Mohamed (Gandhi) (Somali: Maxamed Cabdi Maxamed «Gaandi», Arabic: محمد عبدي محمد; 1949 – 18 April 2021) was a Somali geologist, anthropologist, historian and politician. He was the former Minister of Defense of Somalia, and the former President of Azania (Jubbaland). In July 2014, Gandhi was appointed Somalia's Ambassador to Canada.
Dur-Dur Band was a musical group from Mogadishu, Somalia. The band was formed in the 1980s and was one of the most well-known acts on the Mogadishu disco scene at the time. The band later performed and recorded based in neighbouring Ethiopia. Their unique sound encompasses funk and disco, with influences of soul.
Fartuun Abdisalaan Adan is a Somali social activist. She is the executive director of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre.
Ilwad Elman is a Somali-Canadian social activist. She works at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu alongside her mother Fartuun Adan, the NGO's founder. She was voted the African Young Personality (Female) of the Year during the 2016 Africa Youth Awards.
Elman Ali Ahmed was a Somali entrepreneur and social activist.
Abdirahman Omar Osman was a Somali politician who was the Governor of Banaadir and Mayor of Mogadishu. Abdirahman Omar Osman, also known as Eng. Yarisow, was involved in Somali politics for the last 12 years of his life. He served the Government of Somalia as a senior advisor, Minister of Information twice, Minister of Treasury, spokesperson of the government, Senior Media & Strategic Communications Advisor and Senior Advisor & Spokesperson of the Office of the President.
Almaas Elman was a Somali-Canadian humanitarian aid worker, the eldest daughter of a prominent family of humanitarian aid-workers. Her parents were Elman Ali Ahmed and Fartuun Adan. She, her mother and her sisters emigrated to Canada in the early 1990s. Her father was gunned down in 1996. Her mother helped found the Elman Peace Center. One of her sisters Ilwad Elman was a short-listed candidate for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Her husband, a Somali-Swedish tech entrepreneur, was Zakaria Hersi. They married in 2017.
Events in the year 2020 in Somalia.
Iman Elman is a Somali-Canadian military officer. When she was a child, Elman's parents were peace advocates in wartorn Somalia. When the dangers of working in Somalia increased her parents agreed that her father, Elman Ali Ahmed would stay in Somalia, and continue to work for Peace, while her mother, Fartuun Adan would raise their daughters in Canada. When her daughters reached adult-hood Fartuun returned to Somalia, to renew her work for Peace. Iman's elder sisters, Almaas Elman and Ilwad Elman, also returned to Somalia, followed by Iman herself.
On 23 March 2022 in Somalia, a series of coordinated attacks by al-Shabaab jihadists in the two cities of Mogadishu and Beledweyne killed over 60 people.
