Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) – Armed attackers shot and killed prominent Somali musician and member of Parliament, Saado Ali Warsame, in Mogadishu, Wednesday, the fourth such incident to target prominent figures this year.
Warsame and her driver were shot and killed as they travelled in a vehicle in Mogadishu. In addition to being a parliamentarian, Ms Warsame, was a well known singer whose loss will be felt across Somalia.
Mogadishu’s RBC Radio reported that heavily armed men killed the parliamentarian in a drive-by shooting and fled the scene near the Ambassador Hotel in Maka al Mukarama Road.
“The armed men started shooting the car while Warsame was inside upon her arrival at the backdoor of the hotel,” RBC reported quoting fellow Parliamentarian Abdullahi Jama, who witnessed the shooting.
Somalia’s Islamist rebels, Al Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying they sent a specially trained force to kill the Parliamentarian.
The Somali singer was recognized across the Somali Diaspora and lived in Mineapolis in the US, where she was repeatedly recognized for raising awareness about the war in the Horn of Africa nation.
Somali MPs say the Al Shabaab is increasingly targeting members of Parliament to cause fear amongst them and to force them to flee.
