From a nine-year-old herding camels in rural Somaliland to helping bring one of humanity’s deadliest diseases to an end, Dr. Abdillahi Dirie’s extraordinary journey reflects a lifetime of determination, service and historic achievement.
If Dr. Abdillahi Dirie had been born among another people, he would have been celebrated during his lifetime, and his contribution to the global eradication of smallpox would have been taught in schools across Africa, according to Dr. Jama Musse Jama.
“Unfortunately, we do not know how to claim and celebrate our own achievements,” Dr. Jama said, reflecting on the remarkable life of a man whose work contributed to one of the greatest public health achievements in history.
Now aged between 93 and 95 and living in the United Kingdom, Dr. Abdillahi Dirie has witnessed nearly a century of history. His life began far from the international institutions where he would later make his mark, in the rural landscape of Aroori (15 Km from Burco) in what is now the Republic of Somaliland.
From a pastoral childhood to the classroom
In the early 1940s, when he was just nine years old, Abdillahi was sent to look after a few calves and a weak camel left behind from the herd. Exhausted, he fell asleep and lost a young camel known as Ina Dhuux, born to a particularly white, large-boned she-camel called Dhuux.
A hyena killed the calf, whose carcass was discovered the following morning. For his negligence, the young boy received two blows with sticks as punishment.
But the incident did not define his future. Determined to pursue a different path, the young Abdillahi left the pastoral environment and walked alone across the entire Aroori plain to Burao, where his father lived.
His journey marked the beginning of a remarkable transformation from a rural childhood to an international career in medicine and public health.
He was subsequently enrolled at Sheikh School, then a modest and relatively isolated institution where students lived, studied and developed a strong sense of community.
His academic progress soon opened new doors. Abdillahi and six fellow students secured scholarships to Sudan, where they completed their secondary education.
From a passion for history to a career in medicine
After returning from Sudan, Abdillahi initially hoped to study history. He independently approached Sheikh School, where he had previously studied, and volunteered to work temporarily as an isdire teacher (volunteer).
However, his time at the school changed his ambitions. He abandoned his original plan and decided to pursue medicine, a choice that would eventually place him among the pioneers of Somali medical education and international public health.
He won a scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, earning his first degree from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He subsequently received another scholarship through the World Health Organization and studied public health in Liverpool.
According to Dr. Jama’s account, Abdillahi became the second Somali to obtain a university degree in medicine, following Dr. Ali Qaaddi.
His education laid the foundation for a career that would extend beyond national borders and bring him into the international effort to combat deadly infectious diseases.
Leading an emergency mission to Equatorial Guinea
Dr. Abdillahi’s professional career soon took him into challenging humanitarian work.
When Equatorial Guinea faced a severe crisis following the sudden departure of its Spanish colonial rulers, the international community mobilised to provide assistance.
Dr. Abdillahi emerged as a leading figure in an emergency medical team sent to the country to help save lives. His team included two female nurses and two soldiers, one of whom was A.H.U. Abdiqadir Koosaar.
The mission demonstrated the growing importance of his medical expertise and ability to serve in difficult circumstances. It also marked another stage in a career that would eventually become associated with one of the most significant public health campaigns in history.
The campaign that helped change the world
After returning, Dr. Abdillahi was appointed head of the Smallpox Eradication Campaign in the Somali Republic.
The responsibility placed him at the centre of a major international public health effort. His work was not confined to his own country; he also served on international committees involved in efforts across different parts of the world.
Smallpox eradication became a defining chapter of his career. Dr. Abdillahi was the official who signed the certification concerning the last person to contract the disease in the Somali Republic.
That individual was Ali Maow Maalin, from Marka, who became the last known person to contract naturally occurring smallpox anywhere in the world. Maalin recovered from the disease and lived for many years afterwards.
On 9 December 1979, the eradication of smallpox was formally agreed upon. In May 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly announced the official declaration confirming the global eradication of the disease.
Dr. Abdillahi was among those who signed the declaration. He also presented the historic report prepared by the relevant international committee before the World Health Assembly, helping document an achievement that continues to hold enormous significance for global public health.
His role connected a career that began in the Horn of Africa with an international milestone that changed the course of human history.
A legacy that deserves recognition
Today, Dr. Abdillahi lives in the United Kingdom, carrying memories of nearly a century of change and achievement. His journey—from tending camels in Aroori to contributing to the worldwide eradication of smallpox—offers a powerful example of how determination, education and professional service can transcend humble beginnings.
His story also raises a question about how Somaliland and the wider African continent preserve and celebrate the achievements of their own people.
For Dr. Jama Musse Jama, the failure to give figures such as Abdillahi the recognition they deserve reflects a broader difficulty in documenting and promoting homegrown accomplishments. His contribution to the eradication of smallpox, he argues, is precisely the kind of history that should be preserved and taught to future generations.
Dr. Abdillahi has also contributed to the historical record through his book, A Brief History of Formal Education in the British Somaliland Protectorate: 1884–1960, published in 2026.
The book was presented on Tuesday at the Somali Cultural Week programme in London, adding another dimension to his legacy as both a medical pioneer and a chronicler of Somaliland’s educational history.
His life stands as a testament to perseverance, learning and service. From a young boy who walked alone from Aroori to Burao to an internationally recognised contributor to the fight against smallpox, Dr. Abdillahi Dirie’s story is one that deserves to be remembered, documented and shared with generations to come.