Somalis abroad in public life
Almaas Elman (Almaas Cilmaan)
Almaas Elman (died 20 November 2019) was a Somali-Canadian humanitarian worker and diplomat, eldest daughter of Elman Ali Ahmed and Fartuun Adan of the Elman Peace Center. She served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve and as First Secretary at the Somali embassy in Kenya, and was killed by a bullet while travelling by car in Mogadishu in November 2019.
Almaas ElmanAlmas Elman · Almaas Cilmaan
- Lived
- ? to 2019-11-20
- Known as one of
- Somalis abroad in public life
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who was she?
Almaas Elman was a Somali-Canadian humanitarian worker, the eldest daughter of Elman Ali Ahmed and Fartuun Adan (Wikipedia, Almaas Elman). She, her mother and her sisters moved to Canada in the early 1990s; her father was shot dead in 1996, and her mother helped found the Elman Peace Center (same source). Her sister Ilwad Elman was shortlisted for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize (same source). See Somali Canadians in public life.
Work
She served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve before returning to Somalia (Wikipedia). She was First Secretary at the Somali embassy in Kenya, and later worked as a liaison with European Union diplomats in Somalia (same source).
Death
She died on 20 November 2019 after being hit by a bullet while travelling by car in Mogadishu (Wikipedia). Early news reports described it as a murder, while the African Union said it had no reports of fighting in the area and called it a stray bullet from outside (same source). Canada's minister Ahmed Hussen called her death "personally devastating" (same source).
This page records events without taking sides.
In short
A member of the Elman peace family who served Canada and Somalia and was killed in Mogadishu in 2019.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Almaas Elman · en.wikipedia.org
Almaas ElmanAlmas Elman · Almaas Cilmaan
- Lived
- ? to 2019-11-20
- Known as one of
- Somalis abroad in public life
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
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Where this matters
Same era
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- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
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- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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