Eighteen years. A lifetime. A lifetime without truth, made of silence, of false tracks and lies. On March 20 1994 RAI3 journalists, Italian Ilaria Alpi and Miran Hrovatin, were killed in an ambush in Mogadishu, Somalia, with two gunshots fired at their heads. As today, only one executer has been brought to a trial who was later found part of a 7-people command who killed the two journalists: Hashi Omar Hassan was given a 26 years jail sentence. The masterminds behind the assassinations remain unknown today. Many controversial aspects carachterized the trial.

According to a judge in charge of the trial as well as several witnesses and colleagues, Ilaria and Miran were killed under circumstances related to what they managed to report on and found out in Somalia, according to which a traffick of weapons from Italy to Somalia was in place for many years in exchange for the Italian part to dismantle toxic waste over Somali territory and sea. According to this theory, top officials within Italian government, Somali warlords, Italian secret service agents and ambiguous entrepreneurs were all involved in such traffic.

On the other hand, the Parliamentary Commission created in 2004 (ten years later...) with the only purpose to find out the truth about the murders concluded in 2006 that Ilaria and Miran went to Somalia on holiday and were killed in the attempt to be kidnapped. Based on such theory, prosecutor Franco Ionta requested in 2007 to have the case definitely closed. The request is rejected in 2010 buy judge Emanuele Cersosimo who formally claims that the two journalists were killed after disclosing the illicit trafficking of weapons and toxic waste. This ultimately proves the Parliamentary Commission's conclusion was completely wrong.

In 2010 Associazione Ilaria Alpi demands the re-opening of the trial by collecting citizens' signature all over Italy. Several hundred thousand people signed the petition, but Italian authorities remained silence once again.

One of Italy's greatest mistery and shame remains buried, together with cargoes of toxic waste under Somali land.