Two attacks on Wednesday evening in Beledweyne, a locality in central Somalia, and claimed by Shebab, killed at least 48 people, said Thursday, March 24, the governor of the state of Hirshabelle.

These attacks came hours after another attack on the airport in the capital Mogadishu, known to be the most secure site in this unstable country in the Horn of Africa.

"We can confirm so far that 48 people were killed and 108 others injured in the two blasts," Hirshabelle state governor Ali Gudlawe Hussein said, adding that rescuers found bodies buried under debris. .

"We urge (citizens) to be very vigilant, we order all security agencies to step up security," he said.

"The terrorists carried out the first attack with a suicide bomber and had a car loaded with explosives ready in front of the hospital in order to cause more casualties," local police chief Isak Ali Abdulle said by telephone.

"These were devastating simultaneous attacks that damaged property and caused massive civilian casualties."

The first attack killed two incumbent MPs, including Amina Mohamed Abdi, who was campaigning for re-election, as well as "several" of her guards.

The second took place shortly after in front of the hospital, where gutted cars were visible on Thursday.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they targeted "politicians running for the current elections".

Attack on Mogadishu airport

On Wednesday morning, at least three people were also killed in an attack on Mogadishu airport, a highly protected compound housing UN offices, embassies and an African Union force base ( Amisom).

The attack - during which a gas station caught fire, releasing a thick plume of smoke - lasted about 45 minutes, several witnesses said, before the assailants were shot.

The latter was also claimed by the Shebab.

Al-Shabaab, who fight Somalia's fragile federal government, were forced out of Mogadishu in 2011 after an Amisom offensive, but they still control large areas of rural Somalia and continue to carry out attacks on government and military targets.

Somalia, and particularly its capital, have been the scene of multiple attacks in recent weeks, while the country has been waiting for more than a year for the election of a new parliament and a new president.

The mandate of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo, expired in February 2021 without his having managed to organize a poll.

Since then, the process has progressed painfully, delayed by conflicts at the top of the executive and between the central government and certain federal states.

After many postponements, the closing of the Lower House elections has been set for March 31.

This step should open a new phase leading to the appointment of a new head of state.

"Violence is not a way to move forward"

The repeated delays worry the international community, which believes that they divert the authorities' attention from crucial issues for the country, such as the Al-Shabaab insurrection.

"Violence is no way forward for Somalia. The EU condemns terrorism and politically motivated massacres," Tiina Intelmann, European Union Ambassador to Somalia, wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

Violence is not a way forward for #Somalia.

#EU condemns terrorism and politically motivated killings.

Condolences to the family of MP Amina Mohamed Abdi #Beledweyne @EU_in_Somalia

— Tiina Intelmann (@TiinaIntelmann) March 24, 2022

"Our hearts go out to all those affected by the attacks in Mogadishu and Beledweyne yesterday. We strongly condemn the use of violence to intimidate and disrupt elections. The UK stands with Somalia in its fight against terrorism", also wrote on Twitter Katie Foster, the English ambassador for Somalia.

With AFP

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