Somalia has lost one of its most influential and respected female leaders, Mrs. Khadijo Mohamed Diriye, who passed away on 20 December 2023 in Djibouti city, after an illness. She was 74 years old.
Mrs. Diriye was the Minister of Women and Development of Human Rights in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Hamza Abdi BAre, a position she had previously held from 2014 to 2015 under Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed. She was also a long-serving member of the Somali parliament, representing the Hirshabelle State.
Mrs. Diriye was born on 2 April 1949 in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. She started studying the Qur’an during her education. From 1972 to 1979, she studied at the Hassan Dhagey School in Jowhar, a town in the Middle Shabelle region.
She began her career as a middle school teacher in 1981, and later worked as a secretary, an accountant, a manager, and a trader. She entered politics in 2000, when she became a member of parliament in the Transitional National Government (TNG). Since then, she held various ministerial and parliamentary positions in successive Somali governments, spanning over two decades.
Some of the notable roles she played include:
– Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Women and Family Welfare of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2004
– Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) from 2005 to 2006
– Minister of State for the Ministry of Information and Public Guidance of the TFG from 2006 to 2007
– Minister of the Ministry of Women’s Development and Family Affairs of the TFG from 2008 to 2009
– Minister of the Ministry of Rural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the TFG from 2009 to 2010
– Minister of Youth and Sports of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) from 2010 to 2011 and from 2017 to 2020
– Minister of State for the Ministry of Water, Petroleum, Minerals and Energy of the FGS in 2011
– Chairman of the Research, Technology, Post and Communications Committee of the FGS People’s Assembly from 2011 to 2012
– Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Women and Humanitarian Affairs of the FGS People’s Assembly in 2013
– Representative for Somalia in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Women Caucus in 2016
– Minister of Relief and Disaster Management of the FGS from 2020 to 2022
Mrs. Diriye was a vocal advocate for women’s empowerment, gender equality, and human rights in Somalia and beyond. She initiated and implemented several policies and programs to advance the rights and welfare of women and children, such as the National Action Plan on Human Rights, the National Child Protection Policy, and the National Action Plan against Sexual Violence. She also supported the ratification of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child by the Somali government in 2015.
She was also a peacemaker and a bridge-builder, who participated in various regional and international forums and dialogues to promote peace, stability, and cooperation in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. She was part of the delegation of Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre, who was attending the Forum of Shared Perspectives, held in Djibouti, when she fell ill and passed away.
Mrs. Diriye was laid to rest on 21 December 2023 in Mogadishu, where she received a state funeral attended by various leaders and officials, as well as members of the public. The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, together with the Heads of State, prayed together at the Adan Abdulle Osman Airport to pray for Jannaasa, may God have mercy on the late Khadija Mohamed Diriye.
On the other hand, officials, members of the two houses of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Somalia, ministers and different sections of the society participated in the funeral prayer for the late Member of Parliament Khadija Mohamed Diriye, who was a minister of the Federal Government of Somalia. The funeral prayer for the deceased was also attended by the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia Mr. Hamse Abdi Barre, the relatives of the late MP Khadija Mohamed Diriye, the 7th President of the country Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Ministers.
The Somali people and the international community have expressed their condolences and tributes to the late Mrs. Diriye, who was widely regarded as a role model and a mentor for many women and young people in Somalia. She was praised for her dedication, integrity, courage, and vision, as well as her contributions to the development and progress of Somalia.
May Allah have mercy on her soul and grant her Jannatul Firdaus. She was indeed loved by many and will be dearly missed.
