In Memory of Ambassador Mohamed Omar Dubad

April 16, 2011 By Geelle

Mohamed Omar Dubad, the longtime Somali ambassador in Switzerland, died in Geneva on April 14, 2011 of natural causes after a long illness.
Ambassador Dubad was born in Borama circa 1948. He started his education in Borama and later joined Sheikh Secondary school in 1964 where he graduated four years later. The following year he went to the college of education at Afgoi, majoring in mathematics. Upon graduation, he was appointed an instructor at the Math department eventually becoming the head of the Department.
In 1978 he was awarded a scholarship to Southampton University in England for graduate studies in math. It was at the Southampton where, as the top of his class, his professor, who was moving to Ann Arbor University in Michigan, offered to take with him to the American university. That Ambassador Dubad was exceptionally gifted was evidenced by the fact that while he completed his undergraduate education at a local university, he emerged as the top student in his graduate class at the British university. He transferred to Ann Arbor where he earned a master’s degree in Math with a focus on statistics.
When he returned to Mogadishu, he was assigned as Executive Director at the National Refugee Agency established to provide relief supplies to the nearly 800, 000 people uprooted by the 1977 war between Somalia and Ethiopia. Dr. Mohamed Nuh Ali who teaches at Carlton university in Ottawa recalled: “This operation was behemoth and Mohamed Omar Dubad proved to be a capable leader in terms of his seamless interaction with the UNCHR expatriate staff and the manner he ensured relief supplies-shelter, food, clothes and medicine- were delivered in a timely manner to this large number of displaced people scattered in camps across the country.”
After this stint at the Refugee agency he was sent to the Somali embassy in Geneva to coordinate refugee matters with the UNHCR. He eventually became head of the Somali mission in Geneva. During his long stay there he safeguarded the assets of the people, helped immigrants seeking refugee status in every way possible. He also hosted the late President Mohamed Egal of Somaliland when he visited there in the 1990s.
Ambassador Mohamed Omar Dubad was one of the most gifted sons of Awdal and he will be missed dearly by all.
We the under-named are profoundly shocked by his passing and would like to extend our sympathies and condolences to his wife, Marwo Fadimo Qalib Kamil, his children Omar, Kawthar, Hoda, Layla and Idil  as well as his mother Hasna Hassan and also to the rest of his immediate family members.

1. Dr. Moahmed Nuh Ali and Sahra Hassan Habbane.
2. Dahir Hamud Elabeh(Switzerland, Zürich)
3. Ibrahim Hagi Muhumad Aye
4. Adan Amin Awil
5. Mohamed Hersi Bahal
6. Mohamed Hussein Farid
7. Omar Abdi Egeh
8. Jama Osman Geele
9. Dr. Ali Bahar and Roda Hagi Mizan
10. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Tani

10.  Dr. Mohamoud Sheikh Hassan Tani
11.  Ali Sugal
12.  Abokar Nuh Ali
13.  Mohamoud Wais
14.  Mohamoud Alaabari
15.  Ali warsame
16.  Saeed Fahiye
17.  Abshir Isse
18.  Saeed Saleh
19.  Mohamoud Abdillahi Iman
20.  Rashid Hassan Matan
21.  Ibrahim A Iman
22.  Mohamed H Sayreh
23.  Abdi Farah Gireh
24.  Adan H Iman
25.  Ahmed A Iman