Somalia
At least eighteen people were killed on Sunday by a suicide car bomb in the Somali capital Mogadishu, according to local officials and witnesses.
A local official of the security services, Mohamed Jilibey, pointed out that many people stood at the intersection when the explosion occurred.
The attack is first of its kind in Mogadishu since February 8, after the election of the new Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, alias Farmajo. Two children were reported killed by gunfire on the day of the handover ceremony between Farmajo and his predecessor.
The attack on Sunday targeted a very busy intersection of the neighborhood in the Southern part of the capital.
“There are many stalls along the road, small shops, restaurants, and tea houses,” Sumayo Moalim,a witness,had told AFP.
This type of attack is generally attributed to the al-Shabaab militants, who were driven out of the capital in 2011, but they continue to control large rural areas and carry out attacks against the Somali military and those of the African Union (Amisom).
01:06
Somalia gains full membership of East African Community
Go to video
US to build 5 new military bases for Somali army, which faces a rebellion by an extremist group
01:16
Al-Shabaab: bodies of UAE soldiers returned to Abu Dhabi
Go to video
Ethiopia's leader plays down fears of conflict with Somalia over a planned naval port
01:44
Egyptian President says will protect Somalia against anz threat
01:02
Nigerian ex-president sent to mediate Ethiopia-Somalia tensions