(Mogadishu) Several people were killed on Wednesday in a suicide car bomb attack south of the Somali capital Mogadishu, officials said.
Posted at 7:16 a.m.
A spokesman for the federal government said the attack left four people dead, while a security official spoke of “at least six”.
The attack, which took place on a busy road south of the capital, was claimed by the Jihadist Shebab rebels, who said in a statement to have targeted “foreign officials”.
The attack comes days after Somali leaders reached an agreement to complete parliamentary elections in February, the repeated delays of which have generated a deep political crisis in the unstable Horn of Africa country.
“The government of Somalia condemns today’s cowardly suicide attack in Mogadishu in which four civilians were killed and six others injured,” government spokesperson Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu said on Twitter.
“Such acts of terrorism will not derail the peace and ongoing developments in the country. We must unite in the fight against terrorism ”.
Mohamed Abdi, an official of the local security services, for his part told AFP that at least six people were dead and that this toll was likely to increase.
“According to initial information, at least six people were killed and several others injured by this huge explosion, the whole area was devastated,” he said.
Witnesses said a convoy of several vehicles from a security company was escorting foreigners through this part of town when the explosion took place.
“I saw some passengers injured and being transported,” said Osman Hassan, a witness.
Another witness, Hassan Nur, said: “The explosion was so huge that it destroyed most of the buildings near the road.”
“I saw several dead and wounded scattered,” he added.
Divert attention
The Shebab, a movement linked to Al Qaeda, seek to overthrow the fragile Somali federal government, supported by the international community, and control vast territories in rural areas of Somalia.
Many observers believe that the crisis at the top of the state and the year-long electoral stalemate are distracting attention from more important issues in Somalia, such as this insurgency.
President since 2017, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known by the nickname Farmajo, saw his mandate expire on February 8, 2021 after failing to organize elections. The announcement in mid-April of the extension of his mandate for two years had provoked armed clashes in Mogadishu.
In a gesture of appeasement, the Head of State instructed Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to organize the elections. But in the months that followed, clashes between the two men continued, raising fears that their conflict could degenerate into widespread violence.
In December, Farmajo suspended the prime minister he himself appointed in September 2020. The latter immediately accused the president of “attempted coup” and challenged his authority, while the opposition called Farmajo to resign.
On Sunday, Roble and Somali regional leaders announced they had reached an agreement to complete parliamentary elections by February 25. Farmajo immediately affirmed its support for this agreement.
According to Somalia’s complex electoral system, the assemblies of the country’s five states and delegates invested by a myriad of clans and sub-clans choose lawmakers who, in turn, appoint the president.
Elections for the upper house have concluded in all states except Galmudug, and votes began in early November for the lower house.