Community Mourns Somali Humanitarian Activist Assassinated in Mogadishu for Opposing Evictions
Source: by: David Joseph | 15 February 2025 22:
Hassan Sankay Ali, who had a family in London, United Kingdom, was assassinated by armed men in Mogadishu’s Darusalam neighborhood on January 12, 2025.
NAIROBI, Kenya (HORN OBSERVER) – A Somali humanitarian activist and businessman was shot dead in Mogadishu, in what his family describes as a well-planned assassination potentially linked to business interests in the city, Horn Observer can reveal.
Hassan Sankay Ali, who had a family in London, United Kingdom, was assassinated by armed men in Mogadishu’s Darusalam neighborhood on January 12, 2025.
He was leading an advocacy campaign against the eviction of vulnerable communities in the north of Mogadishu, according to statements from both community members in Mogadishu and London.
Samira Hassan Sankay Ali, one of the victim’s daughters who now resides in London, told MM Somali TV that her father was “assassinated in broad daylight while visiting the Darusalam neighborhood.”
PHOTO: Last week, the Somali community in London gathered in the city center restaurant to mourn alongside Hassan Sankay Ali’s family.
She added, “The assassins fled the scene after shooting him on the head.”
Samira and her family, including her siblings, remain devastated and fearful, as their father’s body is still being held at a hospital morgue in Mogadishu.
“We cannot travel to Mogadishu due to safety concerns, and we are in constant pain knowing that his body is still in the fridge,” she said.
“My father’s death was well planned; he did not die naturally—he was executed. People had planned for it,” she said, her voice trembling as she wiped away tears.
She added, “Today, we are orphaned girls, and our father is gone. We are in pain, and we demand justice.”
A Somali police source told Horn Observer that the case is still under investigation and that suspects may be identified soon.
Who Could Have Targeted Hassan Sankay Ali?
Shortly before his assassination, Hassan Sankay Ali had joined a local community movement in Mogadishu to resist illegal land grabbers attempting to seize private land in the Habaay, Maaxaay, and Bashaqle areas, north of Mogadishu.
The disputed land had been earmarked for the construction of a port, an airport, and private villas—an alleged multi-million-dollar project involving corrupt Somali government officials and Premier Bank Limited, a local bank partly owned by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other government officials.
The controversial project was initially set to cover 16 square kilometers but was later expanded to 30 square kilometers. It includes private villas, luxury hotels, and a large airport, despite strong opposition and protests from the indigenous landowners.
Shuriye Mohamed, chair of Movement Against Oppression (Dulmi Diid), an Anti-Oppression movement, condemned the illegal land seizures and called for an urgent investigation into Hassan Sankay Ali’s assassination.
Abdirahman Moalim, a prominent British-Somali community advocate and former politician, also condemned the killing, stating, “We demand an urgent investigation and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.”
Last week, the Somali community in London gathered in the city center restaurant to mourn alongside Hassan Sankay Ali’s family.
MM TV journalist Abdifatah Ali Shirwa, who attended the event, reported that community members urged the Somali government to take immediate action, arrest the perpetrators, and ensure justice is served.
However, concerns have been raised over the increasing number of assassinations targeting diaspora members who have recently returned to Mogadishu. Many believe these killings are linked to political and business rivalries, fueling fears among returning Somalis.
PHOTO: The controversial project was initially set to cover 16 square kilometers but was later expanded to 30 square kilometers.
A journalist contributed reporting from Mogadishu