At least 5 people were killed Friday in Mogadishu, two days after 7 civilians were killed by Somali government soldiers opened fire at a food aid distribution center, Radio Garowe reports.
Friday’s deadly explosion occurred at Suk Ba’ad in north Mogadishu, with witnesses saying that at least to Somali soldiers were among the 5 dead victims.
“It was a big explosion…I saw 10 wounded persons,” said a witness who declined to say his name, adding that a “huge smoke” followed the bombing.
It was not clear what type of bombing it was. Some witnesses said the bomb was “left there” and exploded as civilians and soldiers “came over to look at the bomb.”
No group claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Suk Ba’ad, in Mogadishu’s Yaaqshid district, is among locations vacated by Al Shabaab militant group in August.
On Wednesday, a Somali soldier opened fire at a food aid distribution center in Mogadishu’s Waberi district, killing at least 7 civilians who were victims of famine.
TFG officials in Mogadishu said the soldier has been arrested. The timing of this deadly shooting comes at a time when TFG officials have publicly stated that the Somali interim government has established a “special force” to protect humanitarian aid in Mogadishu.
The UN says that much of southern Somalia is undergoing famine, including regions controlled by Somali militant group Al Shabaab, namely Bay, Lower Shabelle and Gedo regions.
The international community is pouring in humanitarian aid from across the world into Mogadishu, but experts fear that the food aid is controlled by re-emerging clan warlords and can be used as a weapon of war.
Mogadishu has been gripped by an insurgency since 2007, when Al Qaeda-linked militants declared war on Somalia's Western-backed TFG administration.
