Burhan Abdi is among the four people who’s life were cut shot when a car suicide bomber detonated himself near a popular new restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Abdi is a health practioner who returned to Mogadishu from Nairobi Kenya optimistic of taking part in national building
Seven people were injured mostly youth.
His death comes two days after another optimistic son of Somalia Mohamed Sheikh Ali who returned to Mogadishu to become one of the most respected young enterpreneurs was killed by unknown gunmen.
Here is a tribute of Burhan Abdi by his friend Ahmed Hassan.
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The pain of losing a loved one, a tribute to Burhan
When I received a call from my friend Abdifatah Shiine, who later moved to the United States, introducing me to a friend of his, little did I know that I was bagging one more awesome friend. This was in late 2016.
My new friend’s name was Burhan Abdi Hashi (Burhaan Abdi), then a fresh University graduate from leading universities in Sudan and Kenya for his Bachelor and Masters degrees respectively. Burhan was not only looking for a job but also had his eyes on landing one in Mogadishu. He was full of enthusiasm and eagerness to return home and contribute to rebuilding the country’s devastated Health Sector. Through Abdifatah, we exchanged contacts with Burhan whom we met at a Nairobi Cafeteria for a chat-over-tea days later. I found Burhan a polite, confident, determined young, who sought my assistance in landing his dream Mogadishu Job. Out of curiosity, I asked him why he was not afraid to move and live in the unpredictable Capital as the country was in an electioneering period by then and security was terribly bad. Upon realizing his sheer enthusiasm, I assured him of my support in his quest to find a job in Somalia. As we parted ways, we became friends on Facebook and agreed to keep in touch.
Two weeks later, I received this Facebook message from Burhan. “Asc Ahmed. How are you, bro?” I greeted him back and was startled to know that he travelled to Mogadishu. He inquired whether I was still in Nairobi but I answered in the negative and told him that I was back in Mogadishu. We then exchanged our local numbers. Burhan immediately landed a job at a local NGO even though he still harboured ambitions of finding a better opportunity. I was impressed by his drive, boldness and high spirit and could not help but encourage him to pursue his dreams. We wished each other a safe stay in Mogadishu and Allah’s protection.
As fate would have it, tonight, one year and seven months after that conversation, Burhan joined the long list of innocent lives painfully cut short while going about their daily lives in Mogadishu. As I checked into Facebook to keep myself abreast with the day’s happenings, I was devastatingly greeted by news of his untimely death in today’s (Sunday, August 5 2018) Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive (VBIED) explosion at the heart of the capital; an attack that also claimed the life of his friend and several other innocent people, and which comes barely three days after the killing of a young entrepreneur and youth activist, Mohamed Mohamud Sheikh, whose murder had equally shocked many, mainly the youth.
Burhan’s death, just like many before him, is more than painful. He jetted back into the country today after a month’s holiday in Nairobi following his recent marriage. May Allah console the newly-wed but widowed wife he left behind, his friends, family and relatives. As I join Burhan’s family, friends and relatives to mourn his untimely death, I pray that the Almighty Allah comes to our rescue and helps us contain this madness and avoid the endless pain of losing the country’s finest to deadly blasts and assassinations that go unabated. #WeAreNotSafe #Mogadishu, #Somalia.
Ahmed Hassan
