VIDEO: Death toll in Somalia bombing rises to 276 ソマリアで爆発、２３１人死亡 ２７５人負傷 首都のホテル前
Death toll in Somalia bombing rises to 276
Truck explosion in central Mogadishu was country’s worst attack for years
3 HOURS AGO by John Aglionby, East Africa correspondent
Somali security forces and others gather to search for bodies near destroyed buildings at the scene source Toronto
ソマリアで爆発、２３１人死亡 ２７５人負傷 首都のホテル前
http://www.asahi.com/articles/DA3S13182043.html?ref=nmail_20171016mo
edited by kcontents
The death toll from a twin bombing in the heart of Mogadishu on Saturday has risen to 276, making it the most deadly attack in Somalia since al Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked militant Islamist group, began its insurgency a decade ago.
The Aamin Ambulance group, an independent organisation based in Mogadishu, said the scale of the main blast, detonated on a truck outside a hotel at an intersection with many government offices nearby, was “massive”. ”In our 10-year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven't seen anything like this,” it tweeted.
Abdirahman Osman, Somalia’s information minister, described the attack as “barbaric” in the early hours of Monday, and said that, in addition to those killed, about 300 people were injured.
No one had claimed responsibility for the attack as of Sunday afternoon, but it is widely believed to have been carried out by al Shabaab.
At the start of this year, the group was regarded as being on the back foot after a concerted effort by US and African-backed forces to contain the insurgency. It had lost most of the territory it once controlled and was focusing on attacking African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) bases. But in recent months it has regrouped and staged several high-profile attacks, including in Mogadishu.
Rashid Abdi, the Horn of Africa director for the International Crisis Group, a think-tank, said the attack showed that “we cannot be complacent about what’s happening in Somalia”, which has not had an effective government since the collapse of the Siad Barre dictatorship in 1991. “It’s a clear signal that al Shabaab is not down and out; indeed it is escalating the war.”
Soldiers patrol at the scene of the truck bomb explosion in central Mogadishu on Sunday © AFP
Analysts and diplomats said the fact that the bombers must have passed several checkpoints to reach the city centre in such a conspicuous vehicle — all trucks in the centre of the city are supposed to be searched — highlighted divisions within the government, especially the security services, and the broader fragility of the state eight months after the election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. The president has declared three days of national mourning.
The attack came two days after the unexpected resignation of Abdirashid Abdullahi Mohamed, the defence minister, and Somalia’s military chief General Mohamed Ahmed Jimale. No explanation has been given for the officials’ departures but in recent weeks al Shabaab has been gaining territory. On Saturday it took over the town of Bariire, 50km from Mogadishu in the Lower Shabelle region.
Michael Keating, the head of the UN mission in Somalia, led the international condemnation of what he described as an “unprecedented” loss of life.
It is a revolting attack both in terms of its intent and impact” he said. “All Somalis must unite to condemn and repulse this kind of violent extremism. The international community will do everything possible to help the people and government of Somalia to overcome this tragedy.”
Security in Somalia is guaranteed by 22,000 troops and police from Amisom. In recent months the US has also increased its operations against al Shabaab, working with the Somali National Army. However the SNA is extremely factionalised, often along clan lines, and has little clear command-and-control capacity. “It is very much still a work in progress,” one Mogadishu-based western diplomat said.
Mr Mohamed’s unexpected election this year fuelled hope that the country might be able to turn the corner after years of crisis but Mr Abdi said that the president had yet to deliver.
“There’s a sense that things are adrift,” he said. “This is not a hands-on president and there’s a groundswell of dissatisfaction from the grassroots of society.”
The IMF said late last month that “despite recent advances on reform and policy implementation, development challenges for Somalia are daunting”.
Weak institutions, widespread poverty, under-developed social and economic infrastructure, a poor tax collection system and high youth unemployment are among the greatest challenges, it said in a report.
All these are being exacerbated by a drought that has left 6.2m people, or 45 per cent of the 14m population, in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN. A rapid international response earlier this year meant famine was averted but officials say recent rains have been poor.
“In three months we could be facing another emergency even if the rains come,” said Mohamoud Elmi, director-general of the newly created ministry of humanitarian affairs and disaster management.
Divisions between the central government and federal states are also hindering development, Mr Abdi said, with the Gulf crisis being a major source of conflict. “The regional governments have sided with the Saudi block, with many doing deals with the United Arab Emirates,” he said.
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