Somalia: Somali Lawmaker Killed in Mogadishu

Gunmen in Somalia's capital have shot dead a member of parliament -- the fourth Somali lawmaker killed in Mogadishu this year. A government official tells VOA's Somali Service that Saado Ali Warsame was killed Wednesday near the Ambassador Hotel. A witness who saw her body says gunmen shot her several times in the chest, then fled.

Warsame was a well-known Somali singer who was formerly based in the U.S. city of Minneapolis. In 2012 she returned to Somalia and became a member of the new parliament.


There was no immediate claim of responsibility but suspicion fell on militant group al-Shabab.
The group claimed responsibility for the shooting death of lawmaker Mohamed Mohamud Hayd earlier this month and the killings of two other parliament members in April.

Somalia's internationally-backed government has struggled to stabilize the country in the face of continued al-Shabab activity. The al-Qaida-linked militant group has attacked the presidential palace twice this year and has blocked roads to government-controlled towns, contributing to local food shortages.

VOA