Somalia’s fearless doctor dies

By Mary Harper

The Somali doctor and human rights activist Hawa Abdi has died. She was in her 70s.

Dr Abdi built a hospital, school and feeding centre near the capital, Mogadishu, serving tens of thousands of people.

Many of her patients had been displaced by fighting and she treated them for free.

Dr Abdi, known as the Mother Teresa of Somalia, remained in the country during the three decades of conflict.

In 2011 her hospital was attacked by Islamist militants. She stood her ground and the insurgents withdrew following a protest by hundreds of local women.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: Marc Bryan-Brown]