Ibrahim Hassan Adow (, ) (died December 3, 2009) was a Somali

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and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He was the dean of Benadir University. Adow became the head of the

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department for

Islamic Courts Union The Islamic Courts Union () was a legal and political organization founded by Mogadishu-based Sharia courts during the early 2000s to combat the lawlessness stemming from the Somali Civil War. By mid-to-late 2006, the Islamic Courts had expanded ...

as it rose to power during the early 2000s. He later worked in the same role for the

Alliance for the Re-liberation of 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 ...

during the Ethiopian military occupation. He later served the Minister of Education for

Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) (, , ) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Somalia from 14 October 2004 until 20 August 2012. It was established in Nairobi, Kenya, following the Transitional National Govern ...

. He was assassinated during the 2009 Hotel Shamo attack carried out by an Al-Shabaab suicide bomber.

Biography

Adow lived in the

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for nearly 25 years and worked as an administrator at the

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

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, before returning to his native Somalia in 2002.

Islamic Courts Union

After returning to Somalia, he worked as the dean of Benadir University in

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

. As the

(ICU) was rising to power in the city soon after he arrived, he joined the group. Adow represented the ICU in its ongoing discussions in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

and

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

with the Somali

(TFG). Adow publicly called on the international community to pressure Ethiopian troops that had started invading Somalia in June 2006 to diplomatically pressure a withdrawal.

Khartoum accords

Adow was the leading figure on the Islamic Courts side of the Khartoum talks. For the TFG, the leading figure was speaker of parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden. In September 2006 he announced that though the Islamic Courts had the power to declare themselves Somalia's government, they had refrained from doing so to maintain peace with the TFG. By October 2006, Adow had adopted a more confrontational stance towards the TFG due to the increasing numbers of Ethiopian troops invading Somalia. That month he would announce to Somali media:

"As long as there is a single Ethiopian soldier inside Somalia, we will not talk with the government"

Transitional Government

Soon after the Ethiopian withdrawal from Mogadishu, Adow returned to the capital. Minister Ibrahim Hassan Addow at ceremony for students

Death

On December 3, 2009, a graduation ceremony was being held at the Shamo Hotel in Mogadishu for

medical students A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

from Benadir University. While Adow, other ministers, students and professors and journalists were partaking in the ceremony, a

suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

from Al-Shabaab detonated in the packed audience. Adow and 21 others were killed, and more than 60 were wounded.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Addow, Ibraahin Hassan Year of birth missing 2009 deaths Deaths by suicide bomber Terrorism deaths in Somalia Assassinated Somalian politicians People assassinated by the Al-Shabaab (militant group) Somalian murder victims People murdered in Somalia 2009 murders in Somalia African politicians assassinated in the 2000s 20th-century births Politicians assassinated in 2009 Deaths by explosive device Assassinated government ministers in Africa