Wednesday November 5, 2025
Somali singer Hodan Aden, known by her stage name Hodan Afrika, poses in a still from one of her music videos. The celebrated artist, who lived in Nairobi in recent years, died alongside her daughter after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Mayotte, a French-administered island in the Indian Ocean. Credit / YouTube
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali singer Hodan Aden, known to fans as Hodan Afrika, and her young daughter have died after a boat carrying Somali migrants capsized off the coast of Mayotte, a French-administered island in the Indian Ocean that has become a perilous crossing for those seeking better lives abroad.
Authorities and social media reports said the vessel was carrying more than 20 Somali migrants when it overturned while en route to French territory. The exact number of passengers and the cause of the sinking remain unclear.
The tragedy has sparked grief among Somalis worldwide, with fans sharing tributes to the artist whose songs often captured the nostalgia and resilience of a people scattered by migration.
Mayotte, a small island about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Comoros, has long been a dangerous passage for migrants from East Africa and the Comoros archipelago. Although geographically part of the Comoros Islands, Mayotte voted in a 2009 referendum to remain under French rule, later becoming France’s 101st department in 2011.
In February, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin visited Mayotte and announced plans to restrict birthright citizenship for children born there, citing the island’s inability to handle a continuous influx of migrants.
Despite being part of France, Mayotte remains one of its poorest regions. The majority of its roughly 300,000 residents are Muslim, and only about half are literate in French.
- With files from the BBC Somali Service
