19 August 2024 

For more than a decade, Somalia’s people have been hunted by the terrorist fears and deadly attacks by the radical Islamist group Al-Shabaab. 

14 September 2022

Community centers in Somalia have proven to be the main space for IDPs protection from the disruption of war. There, entire displaced families are trying to live normal lives.

13 February 2021

A vehicle explosion in Mogadishu killed three people and injured eight others.

31 January 2021

A car bomb crashed into a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, causing numerous civilian and bomber casualties.

03 November 2020

As the U.S. plans to withdraw troops from Somalia, Amnesty International reminds the world of the deadly consequences it is leaving behind

19 October 2020

Twenty years after the Resolution, Covid and data-sharing present new challenges and opportunities for gender equality

18 July 2020

On the frontline of a climate crisis Somali people are forced from their home

04 July 2020

Bomb attacks in Somalia’s largest cities have caused many casualties

19 February 2020

Two attacks against two military bases inflicted by the terrorist group Al Shabaab lead to several deaths in Somalia

14 November 2018

Explosives detonated near the Sahafi Hotel in Somalia killing 52 and wounding 100 in an attack  claimed by al Shabaab.

On 9 November 2018, two car bombs and one explosive in a three-wheeled “tuk tuk” vehicle detonated in Mogadishu, Somalia. The Islamist militant group al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack. At least 52 people, including civilians, were killed by the attack as of 12 November, which is much higher than the initial death toll of 17. Around 100 people were injured.  

The explosions targeted a busy area of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia located along the south-eastern coast, near the Sahafi Hotel and Somalia’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, told Reuters that the group “targeted [the hotel] because it acts as a government base.” In addition to government officials, the area was filled with pedestrians and civilians in traffic. The bombs incinerated cars, motorcycles, and minibuses when they exploded. Gunfire broke out following the explosions, and multiple news outlets, including CNN and Reuters, reported that militants attempted to enter the Sahafi hotel but were shot by policemen and security guards. Hussein Nur, a shopkeeper who was injured during the attack, said that, “gunfire killed several people.”

This is not the first time al Shabaab has orchestrated an attack targeting areas frequented by government officials and security forces. In 2015, an attack was carried out in the same hotel and resulted in the death of the then-owner of the Sahafi hotel. His son, Abdifatah Abdirashid, who took over as manager following  the death of his father, was amongst those killed in the recent explosions.

The United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the attack, stating that terror attacks are “criminal and unjustifiable.” They also emphasized the need to support the development of stability and peace in Somalia.

To know more, please read:

4 April 2018

Two suicide car bomb blasts kill Somali troops and African Union peacekeepers, starting a one-day fire fight

16 January 2018
Al Shabaab is currently abducting citizens from Somalia for military training and indoctrination, Human Rights Watch reported Monday.