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NAIROBI, 15 November 2026 — When Abdisalam Guled fled Somalia in the early 1990s, he was searching for safety. Four years later, after crossing borders and being imprisoned in six countries, he settled in the United Kingdom in 1996.
"I ran for my life. My country was destroyed, safety was almost zero. So I was looking for a better life, I was looking for safety," Guled recalls.
He says he was imprisoned while travelling without proper documentation, despite having committed no crime.
"I was in prison in six different countries. I did nothing wrong. I was just looking for a better life," he says.
After nearly two decades abroad, Guled returned to Somalia, hoping to contribute to rebuilding the country he had fled.
"I was going back to serve my people, to give them something back rather than getting something back," he says.
But returning home exposed him to further danger.
Guled recalls being at the premises of a political candidate in Mogadishu when, according to his account, forces loyal to the government then in power launched an attack against the candidate.
Although he was not the intended target, he found himself trapped inside as gunfire struck the building.
"I could hear the powerful machine guns destroying it through the windows. It was terrible," he recalls.
"I could see myself, like my body was lying down, blood coming out, and people standing on top of me talking about how I died," he says.
The incident left him deeply traumatised and became one of the experiences recounted in his memoir, The Man Who Failed to Die, launched in Nairobi on 14 Nov. 2026.
For Guled, Somalia's security challenges cannot be separated from its political divisions.
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"Somalia needs a political settlement before a security settlement. Because everything in Somalia is about politics," he argues.
He believes political leaders must reach a genuine understanding of their shared responsibilities rather than prioritising individual interests.
Guled also argues that Somalia's political settlement remains incomplete, particularly because armed groups such as Al-Shabaab are excluded from political negotiations.
His concerns extend to the migration of young Somalis, many of whom continue to leave the country because of insecurity and limited economic opportunities.
He says governments cannot expect young people to remain at home without providing safety, employment and hope for the future.
"Create a space where people can live in a peaceful environment, job opportunities, give them hope that they can stay in their country," he says.
Drawing on his own migration experience, Guled points to the dangers faced by people attempting to reach Europe, including those who die crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
"Even if they see a light in two or three years' time, probably they can wait. But when they see no light at the end of the tunnel, how long will they wait?" he asks.
Guled also calls for greater responsibility among Somalia's political leaders, saying public office should be understood as a commitment to serving millions of people.
"You are not a person, you are a country. Millions are dependent on you. People are looking up to you because you are a minister, because you are president, because you are prime minister," he says.
"We need a leader acting like a father and seeing the country as his country, as his immediate family," he says.
For Guled, returning to Somalia was an attempt to help build a country where his children and future generations could live safely, without having to undertake the dangerous journey he once made.