Ahmed Abdisalam Adan, also known as Ahmed Mohamed Aden, is a Somali radio journalist, media founder and politician. He is a co-founder of HornAfrik Media Inc based in

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), 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 ...

. In the 2000s, he also served as a Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security in the former

Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) ( so, Dowladda Federaalka Kumeelgaarka, ar, الحكومة الاتحادية الانتقالية) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Republic of Somalia from 14 October ...

Personal life

Adan was born around 1959 in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. He relocated with his family to

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Canada during the 1980s, just prior to the start of the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in his country of birth. Adan thereafter worked in social services for Ottawa–Carleton. He decided to return to Somalia along with Mohamed Elmi and Ali Iman Sharmarke to found the HornAfrik media company in 1999.

HornAfrik

On December 12, 1999, Ahmed Abdisalam Adan, Mohamed Elmi, and Ali Iman Sharmarke officially opened HornAfrik Media Inc. in

, Somalia. Adan was managing partner and director of programs for HornAfrik through 2007. An independent broadcast company, HornAfrik produced and maintained a website, two radio stations, and television station. HornAfrik provided news and aired talk shows for Somalis as an alternative to propaganda delivered by media outlets owned by local faction leaders. HornAfrik broadcast content such as

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

and

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

programs, as well as call-in shows that enabled people to express their views on topics of peace, religion, culture, health, women's issues, education, and economy. The broadcasters also aired interviews with faction leaders. Adan and his partners' work to support free speech and air important local issues earned the ire of Islamist extremists and faction leaders, who sought to maintain control of the capital. As a result, HornAfrik and its employees and operators endured violent attacks and attempts to hush their broadcasts. Adan vowed to continue despite the threats and violence.

Government service

Adan served as the minister for information for the Transitional Federal Government in 2008. After serving as the TFG's minister for information, he acted as a deputy prime minister between 2008 and 2009. According to the WikiLeaks cache of cables, the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

approved of Adan's presence as a deputy prime minister. Adan continued to be active in Somalian politics and the peace process after serving his posts. In May 2012, Adan was injured in a suicide bombing attack while on a peace mission in

Dhusamareb Dusmareb ( so, Dhuusamareeb, ar, سمريب, it, Dusa Mareb) is the capital of Galmudug state in central Somalia. The city also serves as the administrative capital of the Galguduud province. Historically, the city was known as Daar Dheer or sim ...

. Two officials in his delegation died and five other people were killed. Adan sustained some injuries, but later recovered.

Awards

Adan and the other founders of HornAfrik Media Inc. earned praise for their work and the support of the

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is a Canadian non-governmental organization supported by Canadian journalists and advocates of freedom of expression. The purpose of the organization is to defend the rights of journalists and co ...

(CJFE). In 2002, they along with a Kazakh journalist were presented the CJFE International Press Freedom Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adan, Ahmed Abdisalam Living people Somalian emigrants to Canada Somalian journalists Somalian politicians Year of birth missing (living people)