# Saado Ali Warsame (Saado Cali Warsame)

> Saado Ali Warsame (1950–2014): Somali singer-songwriter of justice and unity, Minneapolis resident, and member of the Federal Parliament from 2012.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/saado-ali-warsame/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who was she?

Saado Ali Warsame was one of the best-known Somali singers of her generation. Her songs dealt with politics, justice, national pride and love ([Wikipedia, Saado Ali Warsame](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saado_Ali_Warsame)). From 2012 she served as a member of the Federal Parliament of Somalia (same source).

## Early life

She was born in 1950 in [Buuhoodle](/en/regions/togdheer/), in the Togdheer region, to a family of herders ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saado_Ali_Warsame)).

## Her music

She used satire, metaphor and references to history so that hard ideas were easy to grasp ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saado_Ali_Warsame)). In the time of the military government, her song "Laand Karuusar" took aim at people who used public property for themselves (same source). She also sang duets with [Hasan Adan Samatar](/en/people/hasan-adan-samatar/), including "Darmaan" ([Wikipedia, Hasan Adan Samatar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Adan_Samatar)).

She took part in the "Deelley" chain of poems, in which many poets answered each other in verse ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saado_Ali_Warsame)). After 1991 her songs called on Somalis to rebuild together. "Aan kuu Taliyo" used humour about political quarrels (same source).

## Life in Minnesota

After the civil war began, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and later lived in [St. Cloud](/en/diaspora/st-cloud/) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saado_Ali_Warsame)). She became a US citizen and kept singing for the Somali community abroad. See [Somalis in Minneapolis and St Paul](/en/diaspora/minneapolis-st-paul/).

## Member of Parliament

When the Federal Parliament was set up in 2012, she returned to Mogadishu. She took a seat in it for a [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) constituency ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saado_Ali_Warsame)).

## Her death

On 23 July 2014 gunmen attacked her car in Mogadishu and killed her and her driver. [Al-Shabaab](/en/history/al-shabaab/) said it carried out the attack ([Al Jazeera, 23 July 2014](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/7/23/somalia-mp-killed-in-drive-by-shooting)). Al Jazeera reported that she was the fourth politician killed in Somalia that year (same source).

The next day the government held a state funeral for her at [Villa Somalia](/en/institutions/president-and-council-of-ministers/). She was buried at the Madina Hospital cemetery in the Wadajir district ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saado_Ali_Warsame)). In April 2015 a court sentenced two men to death for the killing (same source).

## In short

A singer whose songs dealt with politics and justice, and who later served as a member of parliament.

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