In Somalia, the toll of the attack on a hotel in Kismayo is getting heavier

The attack on Friday, July 12 in the port city of Kismayo, southern Somalia, left at least 26 dead and nearly 60 wounded. In the afternoon, a car bomb exploded at the entrance of the Medina, a busy hotel, according to security sources.

Gunmen then entered the building, where they clashed with the security forces present. The Shebab Islamist fighters, who claimed the assault, reproduced there a scheme that they used to use in the capital Mogadishu.

The siege ended Saturday in the morning. "The security forces now have control (of the hotel), the last terrorist was killed," a local security official, Abdiweli Mohamed told AFP. According to him, "four armed men were involved in the attack and the toll could get worse".

Foreigners, politicians and journalists killed

"Among the dead are foreigners: three Kenyans, one Canadian, one British, two Americans and three Tanzanians.There are also two wounded Chinese citizens," Ahmed Madobe, president of the semi-autonomous region, told a press conference. of Jubaland.

At least four of these people had dual nationality, according to AFP. It could also be the case of others, except the two Chinese.

A security official, Abdi Dhuhul, confirmed Friday evening with AFP the death of a former minister of local administration and a deputy.

The Somali Syndicate of Journalists (SJS), meanwhile, announced in a statement the death of two journalists, Mohamed Omar Sahal and Hodan Naleyeh. "This is another sad day for Somali journalists," said Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, secretary general of the SJS.

According to the union, they are the first two journalists killed this year in Somalia. Hodan Naleyeh, whose husband is also said to have been killed according to a witness, had recently returned to Somalia after having lived in Canada for a long time.

"The attackers wore police uniforms"

According to several local sources, the hotel housed mainly businessmen and politicians who were in town to prepare for the election of the president of Jubbaland, scheduled for late August.

The hotel was largely destroyed by the explosion and the bursts of bullets. "The whole building is in ruins, there are dead bodies and wounded who have been recovered inside, and the security forces have cordoned off the whole area," said a witness, Muna Abdirahman.

"The attackers are wearing Somali police uniforms and are transporting their dead bodies out at this very moment," he added.

The Shebab, who have repeatedly conducted such operations in Mogadishu, claimed in a statement the attack against the "apostate officials of the Jubbaland administration".

Hidden from Mogadishu in 2011, the Shebab then lost most of their strongholds. But they still control large rural areas from which they carry out guerrilla operations and suicide bombings, including in the capital, against government, security or civilian objectives.

With AFP