“A Voice Silenced, A Legacy Unbroken: The Tragic Assassination of Amuun Abdullahi”

Amuun Abdullahi once envisioned a life of peace. After years of investigative journalism in Sweden, where her reporting on child soldier recruitment had exposed the powerful and criminal alike, she returned to Somalia, hoping for a life removed from danger. She invested her savings in the soil of Mohamud Adow, turning to farming as a way to reconnect with her roots and serve her community. The farm became her sanctuary, her fields a quiet witness to her commitment to rebuild. But Al-Shabaab, the shadows of her past work, had not forgotten her voice—a voice that had dared to expose their darkest practices to the world.

On October 18, 2024, Amuun’s hope for a peaceful life was shattered. In the early dawn, two masked men approached her, and when they asked, “Are you Amuun Abdullahi?” she stood, her voice unwavering. “It is me.” Their guns fired without hesitation, and the life of a woman who had only sought justice and peace was extinguished in a brutal, calculated instant. News of her murder swept across Somalia and beyond, striking raw pain in those who knew her. Ikraan Cali Kaar and Ahmed Idaajaa, former colleagues, choked on words during interviews, their voices filled with grief and disbelief. Amuun had risked everything for a safer Somalia, and now her legacy burned brighter as a tragic reminder of the dangers faced by journalists and defenders of truth in Somalia.

In the wake of her death, the Coalition of Somali Human Rights Defenders (CSHRD) issued a powerful denunciation, condemning the brutal killing and demanding justice for Amuun. Their message resonated as a warning to the Somali government: stop cooperating in the enforced deportations of Somali nationals from Europe, where rising xenophobic policies and Nazi-linked ideologies threaten vulnerable communities. The CSHRD emphasized that returnees to Somalia must be guaranteed their full rights and security, unlike the dangers that had once driven Amuun herself away.

Amuun Abdullahi’s life and death remind the world that the price of courage is often high—but her voice, now silenced, has sparked an enduring legacy that may one day transform the struggle for justice and safety in Somalia. She lies now in the very soil she cherished, her spirit forever alive in the hearts of those who continue the fight for peace.