International aid agency Oxfam International is shocked and deeply saddened by the senseless killing of a dedicated aid partner

“For many years, Mahdi had worked tirelessly to help the people of Somalia.”
Robbert van den Berg
Oxfam's Horn of Africa Manager
Published: 17 June 2008

International aid agency Oxfam International is shocked and deeply saddened by the senseless killing of a staff member of one of its partner organizations in Mogadishu. Mohammed Abdulle Mahdi, 46, was shot to death in Mogadishu on the morning of June 11th. The circumstances surrounding his murder are still unclear. Mahdi is survived by his wife and eleven children.

"Oxfam is deeply saddened by the loss of such a dedicated and brave colleague. For many years, Mahdi had worked tirelessly and in an atmosphere of increasing danger to help the people of Somalia who are struggling to cope with violence and drought," said Oxfam's Horn of Africa Manager, Robbert van den Berg.

"We wish to express our condolences and solidarity with his family and colleagues and with other civil society organizations working throughout Somalia under extremely difficult circumstances," said Mr van den Berg.

Oxfam International urges that a thorough and impartial investigation into the killing be carried out and that those responsible be put on trial.

Mohammed Abdulle Mahdi, known as 'Mahdi' to his friends, was the Director of the Women and Child Care Organisation (WOCCA) and had been dedicated to helping vulnerable people in Somalia for many years.

In collaboration with Oxfam International, Mahdi had worked to improve the lives of many different vulnerable groups; most recently, Mahdi had been working to help people forced to flee their homes because of extreme violence in Mogadishu and across Somalia.

This most recent killing illustrates the extreme dangers faced both by ordinary citizens and aid workers in Somalia. NGO workers like Mahdi are bravely and continuously working to deliver life-saving services to people in desperate need but they are doing so in an atmosphere of increasingly real and imminent danger. It is the right of ordinary Somalis to be able to access the assistance that many of them so desperately need and it is the right of aid workers to carry out their life-saving work unhindered and without fear.

All parties to the conflict must live up to their obligations to the people of Somalia by allowing full and unhindered access to those in need and to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law.

Only by living up to these obligations will the needs of all Somalis be met.

"This senseless loss of life underlines the extreme dangers that aid workers face trying to reach those in desperate need and deprives a whole community and family of a man dedicated to improving the lives of ordinary Somalis. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very difficult time," said Mr van den Berg.

Notes to Editors

Oxfam International has been delayed in sending out a public statement surrounding this tragic killing due to the need to acquire more information surrounding it.

Women and Child Care Organization (WOCCA) is a non-profit organization established in 1996 by Somali professionals.  The organization works mainly with women and children – especially those from female headed households – to provide them with tools to improve their incomes and become more self-sufficient.  Most recently WOCCA has been working in partnership with Oxfam International to provide livelihood opportunities for vulnerable people in the Middle Shabelle region of Somalia.

UN OCHA report that incidents of overt hostility and the deliberate targeting of aid workers are on the increase in Somalia, limiting movements in many parts of the country, particularly in central and large parts of southern Somalia where there is an existing humanitarian emergency effecting 2.6m people.

The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Somalia is compounded by the fact that International and National NGOs cannot respond effectively to the crisis because of the extreme risks and obstacles.

The NGO Security body for Somalia – NGO Security Preparedness and Response (NGO SPAS) - have recorded 77 security-related incidents affecting NGOs so far this year.  There have been 14 deaths associated with those incidents, 12 of them Somali nationals.

Among the current threats to aid workers in Somalia are: targeted threats of violence against them combined with an unwillingness by authorities to address security incidents, violence in the capital and beyond creating an uncertain security environment, kidnappings, carjackings, indiscriminate violence and crime, robberies and the looting of food and non-food items.

UN OCHA report that more than 1,300 civilians have been killed due to fighting in Mogadishu so far this year (an average of over 50 people killed every week).

Currently, there are 2.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Somalia including 1.1 million IDPs who have been forced to flee their homes since January 2007 (UN’s FSAU).

555,000 people are in humanitarian emergency and do not have enough food.  945,000 people are in acute food and livelihood crisis and are selling assets to buy food, leaving them vulnerable to further deterioration (UN’s FSAU).

In the Shabelles (including Mogadishu and Afgooye), 75% of children are either acutely or severely malnourished, the highest rate across the country (UN’s FSAU).

The humanitarian situation is deteriorating due to a combination of factors: continuing insecurity hampering access by aid agencies to communities in need, hyperinflation resulting in record high food prices and leaving many poor households struggling to buy the food they need and drought that is spreading throughout central and southern regions and decimating many communities’ ability to provide for themselves.

The UN estimate that 3.5 million people (or approximately half the country) could be in need of humanitarian assistance by the end of the year if insecurity continues, if hyperinflation continues to rise and if the rains fail – worsening the drought across the country.