Asli Hassan Abade

Asli Hassan Abade was the first African woman Air Force pilot. She is a Somali Air force pilot, military figure, and civil activist. She was the first and so far the only female pilot in the Somali Air Force (SAF).[1] As of October 2009, she was living in the U.S. state of Texas.[2][3] Asli was popular in the Somali air force, where she was a pilot from 1976 until the end of 1992 when civil war finally crippled Somalia.

Asli Hassan Abade
Asli in the 1970s
Asli in the 1970s
Native name
Asli Xasan Cabaade
Birth nameAsli Xasan Cabaade (Calanside)
BornBuloburde, hiran, Somalia
Allegiance Somalia
Service/branchSomali Air Force
RankCaptain
Other workActivist

Career

Somali Air Force

Abade solo-piloted her first flight on 9 September 1976.[4]

Peace campaign

In the mid-2000s, Abade waged a peace campaign, encouraging lawmakers to come together and put an end to the long-standing civil conflict in her native Somalia. Attending every major political function dressed in the colors of the Somali flag, she reportedly commanded the respect of all the attendees.[5] For her efforts in the reconciliation process that took place in neighboring Arta, Djibouti, which saw the establishment of the Transitional Federal Government, she was accorded the nickname Calansida ("The Flag-bearer").[6]

Abade describes herself as a "patriot",[6] and as "a strong lady", on account of her military experience.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Somali Leader Rallies Kinsmen; Ahmed Meets Twin Cities Diaspora, Asks U.S. Officials to Help Aid Stability At Home". St. Paul Pioneer Press. 5 October 2009. pp. A5.
  2. "Somali president rallies with Twin Cities diaspora". St. Paul Pioneer Press. 10 May 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  3. "The Story of Asli Hassan Abade, the First Female Military Pilot in Africa".
  4. "The History of Somali Aviation Resource Center". Somavires. Mogadishu, Somalia: Somali Aviation Resource Center. 2013. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  5. "Flying the flag for Somali peace". BBC. 7 October 2004. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  6. "The Rise and Fall of the Somalia Airforce: A Diary Reflection". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
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