Bombings in Mogadishu Kill 120, Wound 300

Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, was the scene of two explosions on the afternoon of Saturday, October 29. The explosions, caused by bombs set up in cars, occurred at the Somalian Education Ministry and at busy marketplace. 120 people have been confirmed dead from the explosion with 300 more injured. More deaths are expected due to the severity of the explosions and the number of injured people.

According to multiple reports, the explosions occurred in the same area at different times. The first explosion went off, leaving a scene of death, injury, and chaos. While emergency services and other people in the vicinity rushed in to help where they could, the second explosion went off.

A restaurant owner near the location said that his wife died from the second explosion as she rushed to aid those who had suffered injuries from the first blast. “We failed to stop her,” he said. “She was killed by the second blast.”

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack was orchestrated to occur in an area close to the Ministry of Education as a means to send a message. The militant organization claimed the attack was a response to the fact that children in the country were being subjected to a Christianity-based curriculum.

The extremist organization claimed that the ministry was committed to shifting Somali children away from Islam and that it received financial backing from non-Muslim countries. Al-Shabab’s attack is seen as retaliation against the Somali government’s efforts to curb the strength and influence of Al-Shabab in the country.

More Insights on Bombings in Mogadishu…

Reports have indicated that the terrorism organization controls specific areas of Somalia and has created its own financial network. The government has targeted these financial networks, acting against them.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited the site of the explosions. “Our people who were massacred … included mothers with their children in their arms, fathers who had medical conditions, students who were sent to study, businessmen who were struggling with the lives of their families,” Mohamud said. “We ask our international partners and Muslims around the world to send their medical doctors here since we can’t send all the victims outside the country for treatment,” he said.

Responders to the scene of the bombings are overwhelmed by the number of injured and need assistance, more so because Somalia has one of the poorest medical systems in the world.

The explosions occurred at a bustling location in Mogadishu. The marketplace is surrounded by restaurants and has a high volume of motor vehicle traffic.

There was a bombing in the area in October 2017, killing 500 people.

The bombings were condemned by Somalia’s international partners. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, called on the international community to lend its support to Somalia.