The Story of Bashir Sheikh Ibrahim Warsame

Bashir is 21 years old, he is our interpretor and guide, he is our friend and protector. Bashir is of the few who are lucky enough not to have become a teen soldier or a security agent. He carries no gun and isnt involved with any conflict or group, it's because every Somali male has a gun; most of them either a rifle or AK 47, that I say he is of the few lucky.

He was born in Bay province, south central Somalia in 1990 so all his life he only knows war. So real is conflict that as recently as a two months ago Bashir would awake in the middle of the night to the thunder of explosions across Mogadishu.

His family was an agricultural family and his village, Mursal, their clan is called Leysaan, they were harrased by the Harbargidir, a clan found north of Baidoa. His most horrific memories is that of Harbargidir murdering, maiming and butchering his tribesmen, friends, cousins and families before his child eyes. He says the stain of blood where his neighbour was killed was on his door step for 1 week.

Eventually his clan with the aid of Ethiopia rebelled, but the tragedy is here my dear friends. Bashir's farther, Sheikh Ibrahim Warsame, was returning from his work in Mogadishu that fateful Sunday morning, they travelled with militias to protect them from bandits along the way.

Leysaan rebels and Ethiopian troops planned to intercept the Harbargidir en route. Instead they came across Bashir's father's group and mistaking them for the enemy, his own people shot at them killing his father.

3 days later Bashir's father was found outside the town under a tree, he had tied his scarf around to reduce the blood flow from the bullet wound to his head , he also sustained two bullet wounds to the abdomen.

He was found holding a Quraan which he was bringing back for the community's masjid.

Bashir was 9 years at the time........