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NAIROBI, 15 November 2026 — Imagine fleeing your country to escape war, crossing borders without proper documents, enduring imprisonment in six countries and spending years searching for somewhere safe to call home.
Then imagine returning to the country you fled, not to recover what you lost, but to serve the people you left behind.
That is the journey recounted by Abdisalam Guled in his memoir, The Man Who Failed to Die: A Memoir of Multiple Lives, launched in Nairobi on 14 November.
Guled fled Somalia in the early 1990s as conflict devastated the country. He says it took four years to reach the United Kingdom, where he eventually settled after a difficult journey through several countries.
"When I left Somalia, I ran with my life. My country was destroyed, safety was almost zero. So I was looking for a better life, I was looking for safety," he recalls.
During that journey, Guled says he was imprisoned in six countries, 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, driven by a desire to contribute to rebuilding the country.
His decision came with personal sacrifices. He says he spent 18 years trying to help create a Somalia where his children, who live abroad, could one day feel at home.
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"When I was away, my children used to ask me, 'Dad, why are you always away?' And I said, 'I'm going to find a land for you.'"
His return also exposed him to new dangers. Guled recounts surviving a lightning strike, shootings and an attack targeting a political candidate in Mogadishu.
During that attack, he says gunfire struck the building where he was sheltering, leaving him convinced he was about to die.
"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 recalls.
Guled says the experience left him traumatised, but also deepened his belief that surviving such encounters carried a responsibility.
"I don't think Allah saved me for no reason. I think I've been saved for a reason God knows why, but I need to do what I can do for the better," he says.
His memoir brings together experiences of migration, imprisonment, public service, security threats and serious illness. He hopes the account will help others confronting similar challenges.
For Guled, returning to Somalia was never simply about going home. It was about helping create a country where his children and future generations could live safely.
The memoir reflects both the personal cost of Somalia's conflict and the enduring connection many displaced Somalis maintain with their homeland, even after years spent rebuilding their lives elsewhere.