Two car bombs detonate in front of the Somali Ministry of Education in Mogadishu. The country’s president blames the radical Islamic group Al-Shabaab for the attack. According to him, the number of victims could still increase.
At least 100 people were killed and 300 injured when two car bombs exploded in front of the Ministry of Education in the Somali capital Mogadishu. The country’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in a statement that women, children and students were among the victims of Saturday’s attack.
The first blast hit the Ministry of Education near a busy intersection in Mogadishu, the second car bomb exploded as ambulances arrived and people gathered to help the victims. The explosions were so powerful that the blast shattered surrounding windows.
The President blamed the radical Islamic group Al-Shabaab for the attack, which has not yet claimed responsibility for the incident. According to Mohamud, the number of victims could increase. He instructed the government to immediately provide medical aid to those who were injured, some of them seriously.
Somalia has been suffering from unrest and insecurity for years. In 1991, several militias joined forces to overthrow dictator Siad Barre, but then fought each other. Al-Shabaab is fighting the government, which is supported by the United Nations and African Union soldiers, and wants to establish an Islamist regime.
The militia has carried out multiple attacks not only in Somalia, but also in Kenya and Uganda. Almost 600 people were killed in Mogadishu in October 2017, their worst attack to date. At that time, a vehicle loaded with explosives exploded near a tanker truck.