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The Somalia's President, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared three-day mourning period on Sunday, 15th October 2017 as the death toll from
a truck bomb blast in Mogadishu rose to more than 230, the deadliest
attack in the history of the besieged East African nation.
"Terror
won't win," President Mohamed, known popularly as
Farmajo, said after donationg blood and visiting some of the scores of
wounded at hospitals in the capital. "I call on our citizens to come
out, extend help, donate blood and comfort the bereaved. Let’s get
through this together."
The blast destroyed
multiple buildings and set several nearby cars and trucks ablaze.
Abshir
Abdi Ahmed, the Deputy Speaker of Somalia's Upper House of Parliament,
said the disclosed the death toll had reached 231. The total was confirmed by
former Security Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed, who said more than 200
others were wounded.
Prime Minister Hassan Ali
Khaire blamed the attack on the Somali militant group al-Shabab, which
has not commented on the attack. The group has carried out a series of
attacks in recent years aimed at establishing a radical Islamist state.
“They
don’t care about the lives of Somali people, mothers, fathers and
children,” Ali Khaire said. “They have targeted the most populated area
in Mogadishu, killing only civilians.”
Somalia's
Sonna news agency said the attack apparently involved two bombs,
although details of the blast remained unclear. The blast took place
in the afternoon of Saturday, 14th October 2017 on a crowded street in the Hodan district, busy with
shops, businesses and hotels in northwestern Mogadishu.
Residents
were stunned by the enormity of the attack.
Mogadishu's Mayor, Tabid
Abdi Mohamed, urged residents and businesses that owned earth-moving
equipment to bring it to the site of the bombing to aid in the desperate
search for survivors -- and bodies.
"In our
10-year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven't seen
anything like this," the Aamin Ambulance service tweeted Sunday.
Relatives of the dead and wounded rushed to hospitals overwhelmed with victims.
“There’s
nothing I can say," said Zainab Sharif, a mother of four who lost her
husband, said outside the hospital where he was pronounced dead. "We
have lost everything."
Qatar's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Qatar's embassy in Somalia was severely damaged and that one staffer was slightly injured.
The
United States mission in Somalia issued a statement condemning the
attack and lauding "the heroic response of the Somali security forces
and first responders and Somali citizens who rushed to the aid of their
brothers and sisters."
The United Nations also
expressed outrage at the attack and condolences to families of the
victims. MIchael Keating the U.N. special envoy to Somalia, tweeted
Sunday that "Solidarity among Mog citizens is inspiring, including 2
donate blood in wake of yesterday’s horrendous attack that killed so
many civilians."
Al-Shabab,
which translates to the Youth, emerged from a now-defunct Islamic group
that ruled Mogadishu a decade ago until Somali forces liberated the
city. Al-Shabab has links to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups and has
drawn fighters from neighboring countries.
Al-Shabab
has also staged attacks over the border in Kenya, the most deadly being
a massacre at Garissa University in 2015. Gunmen stormed the school in a
bloodbath that killed 148 and wounded dozens more.
The militant group promotes a strict sharia
law that includes amputating the hands of thieves. The group's attacks
have added to the difficulties faced by Farmajo, who was elected in
February to lead the country of 14 million people that ranks among the
poorest nations in the world.
Farmajo, 54, is the
first democratically elected president of Somalia in more than two
decades. The election was conducted by members of parliament instead of
voters due to threats of violence by al-Shabab. Lawmakers held their
vote in an aircraft hangar for added security.
Farmajo
has close ties to the United States, holding dual Somali-U.S.
citizenship and a degree from the State University of New York-Buffalo.
Compiled by: Rostrum
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