• Somalia, car bomb near the Parliament of Mogadishu: at least 4 dead
  • Somalia, Al-Shabaab attack on hotel: over 20 dead, dozens injured
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16 August 2020A car bomb exploded in front of a new hotel on the beach of Mogadishu. Witnesses report this to the Chinese agency Xinhua, who say they fear victims.

After the explosion, which occurred in front of the Elite Hotel, gunmen reportedly broke into the hotel as thick columns of black smoke rose from the area.

The France Presse agency reports gunmen who stormed the seaside hotel in Mogadishu after a car bomb exploded, a method reminiscent of that of the Somali jihadists in Shebab, a police officer told the agency local: "There was an explosion of a car bomb that hit the Elite Hotel on the Lido beach, inside there were many gunshots".

Another source, the Twitter account of the Shabelle media network, speaks of a suicide attack followed by an armed raid on the hotel. A senior Somali government official was reportedly killed and dozens of people injured in the terrorist attack.