Unknown assailants shot human rights defender, Isse Abdi Isse, dead in Mogadishu on 14 March 2007 outside a hotel he was staying in while attending a human rights seminar on the psychosocial affects of civil war and floods on children.

Isse Abdi Isse is the chairperson of the Kisima Peace and Development Organisation, based in Kismayo. The organisation promotes and protects human rights and gender equality and uses a rights-based approach to empower local communities to become self-sufficient through development.

Front Line is deeply concerned by the recent escalation in the number of killings of human rights defenders in Somalia and believes Isse Abdi Isse was targeted because of his human rights activities.

On the 21 March 2007, 16 people died during clashes between Ethiopian-backed government forces and insurgents. This week's fighting is the heaviest since 1,200 African Union peacekeepers arrived in Somalia in March. The interim government blames remnants of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) for the escalating violence and plans to pacify the city within 30 days. Ethiopian troops who have been in the city since December supporting Somali forces loyal to the transitional government have been gradually handing over responsibilities to the AU force. Somalia's president was overthrown in 1991, much of the country fell under the control of warlords and clan-based factions. Sixteen years later, and with the backing of Ethiopian troops, the current interim administration is the 14th attempt to try to bring stability to the country.

Front Line calls on the Somali authorities to carry out an immediate and impartial investigation into the killing of Isse Abdi Isse and conduct an independent inquiry into all the alleged extrajudicial killings in Somalia, which have occurred to date.