Yusuf Mohamed Ismail "Bari-Bari" (, ; 15 July 1958 – 27 March 2015) was a Somali diplomat and politician. He was the Ambassador of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

to the United Nations Human Rights Office in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Personal life

Ismail was born in 1960 in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

to an

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

Somali family. He belonged to the Majeerteen Harti

Darod The Darod (, ) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan is Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as Darod. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripheries, the Somali hinterlands adjacent ...

clan. His family originally hailed from Garowe, the administrative capital of the northeastern

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

regional state of

. For his tertiary education, Ismail earned a degree in political science from the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

Career

Professionally, Ismail joined the diplomatic service. He was appointed Ambassador of Somalia to the United Nations Human Rights Office in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in 2008. In this capacity, Ismail worked to promote and protect human rights in his country of origin and around the world. Through his work with civil society groups, he is credited with having helped to establish the council's Independent Expert on Albinism, a global panel that was formed in 2015. On 27 March 2015, Ismail sustained injuries during an attack on Hotel Makka al-Mukarama 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 ...

by the Al-Shabaab militant group. He later succumbed to the wounds at the hospital. President of Somalia

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somali language, Somali: ''Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud''; ; born 29 November 1955) is a Somali politician serving as the president of Somalia since 15 May 2022. He previously held the office from 2012 to 2017. Hassan was previo ...

, Puntland President

Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Abdiweli Mohamed Ali GaasBriefi ...

, former Puntland President Abdirahman Farole, and UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay all sent their condolences to the slain diplomat's family. The United Nations Human Rights Council also observed a minute of silence in honour of Ismail. President of the Council Ambassador Joachim Rücker described Ismail as a widely admired and respected leadership figure, whose commitment to global human rights left a tangible impact. On 29 March, a state funeral for Ambassador Ismail was held in Garowe. The funeral service was attended by Puntland President Ali and various Federal Government of Somalia delegates.

References

External links

Official webpage at somaligov.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ismail, Yusuf Mohamed 2015 deaths Somalian diplomats Somalian murder victims Somalian Muslims Somalian politicians People from Garowe University of Bologna alumni 1958 births Ambassadors of Somalia to Switzerland Permanent representatives of Somalia to the United Nations