At least 17 people were killed and 28 others wounded when a bomb went off outside a hotel near the international airport in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Monday, medical officials said.
The Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab, which is trying to topple Somalia’s weak U.N.-backed government, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The city’s Madina hospital received 17 bodies and 28 people with injuries, 12 of them in a critical condition, said Mohammed Yusuf, the hospital’s director.
The blast went off at the first checkpoint on the road that leads to Mogadishu airport, said Farah Hussein, a shopkeeper who witnessed the attack.
Somalia has been riven by civil war since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew a dictator, then turned on each other.
Tag: Somalia
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At least 17 killed in bomb attack
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Gunmen attack Somali hotel, kill prominent journalist, 25 others
At least 26 people, including a prominent journalist and several foreigners, have been killed in an attack on a hotel in southern Somalia.
A suicide bomber rammed a car containing explosives into the Asasey hotel in the port of Kismayo, and gunmen then stormed the building
Journalist Hodan Naleyah and her husband are thought to be among the dead.
Islamist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack.
A local politician, three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, and one Briton were also killed, authorities say.
How did the attack unfold?
Regional politicians and clan elders were inside the hotel discussing a forthcoming regional election when the attack began.
Witnesses said they heard a huge blast before several heavily armed men forced their way in.
“There is chaos inside, I saw several dead bodies carried from the scene and people are fleeing from the nearby buildings,” one witness, Hussein Muktar, said during the attack.
It took several hours for authorities to regain control over the hotel.
Regional President Ahmed Mohamed put the death toll at 26 with more than 50 people wounded. Four attackers were also killed in the raid.
Who were the victims?
Local media and a Somali journalists’ association said Nalayeh, 43, and her husband Farid were among the dead.
Nalayeh founded the media platform Integration TV to tell stories about life in Somalia and in the Somali diaspora. Recent episodes had focused on Somalia’s female entrepreneurs and things to do in the city of Las Anod.
She moved to Canada with her family when she was six years old and went on to become a figurehead of the Somali community there. But the mother of two had recently returned to Somalia.
Tributes have been paid to her, with BBC journalist Farhan Jimale calling her “a beautiful soul” while Canada’s immigration minister Ahmed Hussen said she was a “voice for many”.
The Somali Journalists Syndicate said that Nalayeh and another reporter also killed in Kismayo, Mohamed Omar Sahal, were the first journalists to be killed in the country this year.
How common is this type of attack?
Somalia sees frequent militant attacks but after al-Shabab was driven out of Kismayo in 2012 the port has been relatively peaceful.
The militants have been carrying out regular attacks in the capital Mogadishu, despite the heavy presence of African Union peacekeepers and US-trained Somali troops.
Al-Shabab is affiliated with al-Qaeda and remains a powerful presence in rural Somalia. -
Breaking: Official files motion to impeach president
Top official of Somali’s parliament administration said on Sunday he had filed a motion with the speaker of parliament to impeach the country’s president, Mohamed Abdullahi, but the grounds for the move were unclear.
“We have filed an impeachment against the president of the federal republic of Somalia,” Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh said in a statement.
Constitutionally, 92 lawmakers have to sign a motion for it to be submitted to the speaker. Parliament may debate the motion a week later.
Somalia’s parliament has 275 lawmakers in total. A successful impeachment vote requires the backing of two thirds of all MPs.
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Al-Shabaab stones to death woman accused of having 11 husbands
Somalia’s al-Shabaab insurgents stoned to death on Wednesday a woman it accused of having 11 husbands, residents of a town in the south of the country said.
Residents of Sablale town in Lower Shabelle region gathered to witness the stoning of the woman, Shukri Abdullahi, 30.
“Shukri Abdullahi and nine husbands, including her legal husband, were brought at the court, each saying she was his wife,” Mohamed Usama, al Shabaab’s governor for the Lower Shabelle region, told Reuters.
Al Shabaab is fighting to impose its own harsh interpretation of Islamic law in Somalia. Courts set up by the militants do not allow legal representation or appeals.
Its members have handed out brutal punishments for religious infractions, including hacking limbs for alleged thieves.Stoning suspected adulterers in one such punishment; the accused is buried neck-deep and then killed by rocks thrown by a crowd.
Both men and women have been stoned.
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Army kills several Al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia
Officials said on Wednesday that several al-Shabab militants were killed and others injured after heavy fighting between the Somali National Army (SNA), backed by African Union forces, and the militants in Qoqani location in Lower Jubba region southern Somalia.
Hassan Mohamed, an army official in the area told reporters that the militants’ claims to have captured the area and killed soldiers’ are baseless, saying they are in full control of the area at moment.
“Al-Shabab fighters attacked our bases in Qoqani location in this region on Tuesday, then we resisted and fought with the terrorists, killing several of their fighters and injured others during the battle that lasted more than an hour.
“There are no casualties on either SNA or AMISOM,” Mohamed said.
Al-Shabab militants claimed victory in the latest fighting in Qoqani location near Afmadow town in Lower Jubba region, saying they captured the SNA bases in the area and killed some soldiers.
The militants carry out attacks against SNA and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) under AU mission in Somalia despite frequent airstrikes in the region by U. S. military.
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Al-Shabaab attack in Mogadishu leaves at least 22 dead
At least 22 people were killed in an attack by militant group al-Shabaab in Mogadishu on Friday, security officials and medical sources said.
Twin car bombs were used in the attack near the Somali capital’s presidential palace, which was followed by a fierce gun battle between the attackers and the security forces.
The first blast went off at about 6:30 pm (1530 GMT), followed minutes later by a second explosion, both near up-market hotels, the intelligence agency headquarters and the president’s home.
Mohamed Yusuf, Director of Madiina Hospital where many of the dead and injured were taken, said most had been killed in the first car blast.
Four of the attackers, including a suicide bomber, were also killed, Security official Mohamed Hassan said.
Security forces are searching for a fifth injured militant believed to be holed up in a nearby building.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on its Andalus radio station.
The exact target of the attacks is unclear, but security sources ,who asked not to be named said that the al-Shabaab militants had tried to force their way past a checkpoint near the presidential palace but were held back.
Ambulances rushed to the scene as security forces sealed off the area.
“I felt the ground shaking under my feet,” said resident Mohamud Yusuf, who was near the first blast. “It was a huge one and we saw black smoke.”
Al-Shabaab regularly launches attacks on government buildings, hotels and restaurants in the volatile nation on the Horn of Africa.
In October, more than 500 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated a truck full of explosives in the capital.
Since that attack, the deadliest ever in Somalia, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has vowed to eradicate al-Shabaab.
There has also been an unprecedented outpouring of public anger, with tens of thousands taking to the streets in 2017 calling for the militant group to be wiped out.
The latest attack comes just a day after the ministry of national security warned Mogadishu residents to be vigilant because an attack could be imminent.
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Somalia releases jailed ex minister, govt critic
Somalia has released without charge a former minister and fierce critic of the government who spent two days in jail after being arrested for alleged treason, a lawmaker told Reuters on Thursday.
The arrest of Abdirahman Abdishakur, who was a candidate in a February election won by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, followed mounting pressure on the president and his UN-backed government to end an Islamist insurgency.
“Last night at midnight, they released ex-minister Abdirahman Abdishakur,” lawmaker Mahad Salad told Reuters.
The MP said he, other colleagues and the ex-minister were going to court on Thursday to “know the evidence on what he (Abdishakur) was first arrested”.
Islamist militants al Shabaab have been escalating pressure on Mohamed’s government by staging frequent and increasingly large-scale bombings against both civilian and military targets in recent months in the capital Mogadishu and elsewhere.
The group is fighting to expel African Union peacekeeping force from the Horn of African nation, topple the federal government and impose rule based on its strict interpretation of Islam’s sharia law.
No fewer than 500 people were killed in twin bomb blasts in Mogadishu in October while this month a suicide bomber killed at least 18 people at a Mogadishu police academy.
At a news conference after his arrest, Somalia’s attorney-general Ahmed Dahir had described Abdishakur’s house as a hub for the opposition and a gathering point for people “who want to collapse the government”.
Somalia has been locked in lawlessness and violence since the early 1990s, following the ouster of dictator Said Barre.
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Somalia swears in new president, vows to restore dignity
Somalia on Wednesday sworn in its new leader, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in Mogadishu, the country’s capital amidst tight security.
The new leader promised to restore dignity to the troubled Horn of Africa nation but warned that it will take another two decades to “fix” the country.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who also holds U.S. citizenship, was elected earlier this month in a step toward Somalia’s first fully functioning central government in a quarter-century.
“Multiple challenges are ahead of our government. Therefore, I am telling people that because of the limited resources we have, our achievements will be limited,” said Mohamed, also known as Farmajo. “For the past 26 years, there have conflicts and droughts, so it will take other 20 years to fix this country.”
He said Somalia’s main obstacles are insecurity and humanitarian crises, including a drought that the U.N. has said affects millions of people. The immediate priority is to “avert famine,” the U.N.’s special representative for Somalia, Michael Keating, told the audience that included several regional heads of state.
The new president said his government will focus on “reconciliation, justice and law and the restoration of the confidence of people in the government.” He already has promised to tackle graft in a country recently ranked by Transparency International as the world’s most corrupt.
Mohamed also promised payments, equipment and training for the military, which over the next few years will take on more of the responsibility of countering homegrown extremist group al-Shabab as an African Union peacekeeping mission of more than 20,000 plans to withdraw by the end of 2020.
Somalia’s new leader has already vowed to make security a priority in a country where al-Shabab still carries out deadly attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. On Sunday, a car bomb in the capital killed at least 34.
The Islamic extremist group earlier this week denounced Mohamed’s election and vowed to keep fighting. Fighters affiliated with the Islamic State organization also have emerged.
The new president said his government would welcome people who choose to leave al-Shabab, adding that “you few thousands cannot stand in the way of 12 million people.”
The peaceful transfer of power to Mohamed has been widely praised, and an International Crisis Group commentary on Wednesday said the new president’s wide appeal “the strongest platform for any Somali president, is a rare demonstration of unity in the ethnically homogenous but clan-fractured country.”
But if the new leader can’t manage the “inordinately high expectations … dissatisfaction could trigger a serious public backlash,” the commentary said.
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FG congratulates new Somalian President
The Federal Government has congratulated newly elected President of the Republic of Somalia, Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo.
The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo sent the congratulatory message on Sunday.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, the Acting President also congratulated the people of Somalia on the successful conclusion of their electoral process.
Osinbajo described the process as an important step in consolidating democracy and fully restoring law and order in the country.
He said Nigeria remained committed to supporting the peace, security, stability and development in Somalia and looks forward to working with Farmajo on other key areas of shared interests and mutual concerns such as the fight against terrorism and security-sector reforms.
The Acting President also noted that the successful efforts of the Somali security forces and the African Union Mission in Somali and their invaluable role in ensuring a safe and secure environment during the electoral process.
“This successful election is a landmark achievement for the people of Somalia in particular and Africans in general. It is remarkable that our continent is marching forward with democracy across all of its frontiers. This is a goal that we share with the people of Somalia,” Osinbajo said.
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AU, Somalia condemn terror attacks, vow to fight extremism
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and African Union (AU) top envoy on Monday condemned Sunday’s Mogadishu seaport attack in Somalia and vowed to defeat extremists as death toll rose to 29.
Mohamud in a statement called on security forces in the country to be on high alert to prevent any other attacks noting that innocent people have lost their lives and families.
“I condemn these brutal attacks against our people. The priority of these groups is to destroy the people of this country whether civilians, community or security forces,” he said in Mogadishu.
A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was detonated on Sunday morning a few meters away from the entrance of the seaport, where civilians normally gather; which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for.
Most of the victims turned out to be truck drivers and port workers who were having tea in tea kiosks when the bomb went off on Sunday morning.
At least 29 people were killed and several others sustained injuries. The Somali leader said the attack would not break his people but unite them more in the fight against terror.
“We will do our best to eliminate these groups in due course,” the president added.
Parliamentary Elections are ongoing in Mogadishu and various parts of the country ahead of the December 28 presidential vote.
In his statement, the AU Special Representative, Francisco Madeira, also condemned the terrorist attack in Mogadishu and urged vigilance.
Madeira said a deliberate attack on civilians going about their lives is not only heinous but also attests to Al-Shabaab’s lack of consideration for human life.
“By disrupting and taking the lives of innocent Somali citizens and denying them the right to go about their daily life freely, peacefully and in confidence, Al-Shabaab is desperately struggling to remain relevant after AMISOM and Somali National Security Forces have effectively prevented them from making true their decision to disrupt the electoral process which is now nearing completion,” he said.