Explosion in Mogadishu Beach Leaves 32 Dead, 63 Injured

In the Somali capital of Mogadishu, an explosion on a well-liked beach has left at least 32 civilians dead and 63 injured. According to police on Saturday, the event happened late on Friday night and was attributed by the government to the militant Islamist group Al Shabaab.

It was the bloodiest incident to have occurred in Somalia since at least 100 people were murdered when two car bombs exploded close to a major market crossroads in October 2022.

According to police spokeswoman Abdifatah Aden, the 32 civilians who died at the beach restaurant were joined by one military. Aden reported that three attackers were slain by security personnel, one attacker detonated himself, and one attacker was apprehended alive.

Following their meeting with security services, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced that steps to bolster the city's security had been developed. In a post on X, the president's office stated, “The government is determined to eliminate the terrorists. The terrorists want to terrify the civilians. Let the civilians report the terrorists hiding among them.”

When Somali government officials refer to "terrorists," they usually mean Al Shabaab, as the latter is the terrorist organization that ruled most of Somalia prior to being driven back by government counteroffensives. However, the militants, who are thought to be responsible for the attack on Friday night, are still capable of carrying out significant assaults on government buildings and other targets.

Furthermore, through its radio station, Al Shabaab, the Al Qaeda affiliate in East Africa, confirmed on Saturday afternoon that its militants had indeed carried out the attack.