On 23 March 2022 in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, a series of coordinated attacks by al-Shabaab

jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

s in the two cities of

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

and

Beledweyne Beledweyne ( so, Beledweyne, ar, بلد وين, it, Belet Uen) is a city in central Somalia. Beledweyne District is the capital city of the Hiran region. The city is situated in the Shebelle Valley riverine near the Ethiopian border, 210 miles ...

killed over 60 people.

Background

Al-Shabaab are a Somali Islamist group whose

insurgency An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregu ...

began during the late 2000s. Their attacks have included many in the country's capital Mogadishu, including the deadliest bombing in African history, in October 2017. They have also often attacked Beledweyne, including suicide attacks in June 2009, October and November 2013 and

February 2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

. On the week of the attack,

elections in Somalia During the civilian administration that existed prior to the seizure of power by the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) in 1969, there were a number of local political parties. Most notable of these early institutions was the Somali Youth Lea ...

were scheduled to be held for the Federal Parliament of Somalia, ahead of the 2022 Somali presidential election. This bombing targeted candidates and

polling place A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English and British English, although polling place is the building

Attacks

Aden Adde International Airport shooting

On 23 March, gunmen attacked the eastern area of the

Aden Adde International Airport Aden Adde International Airport ( so, Garoonka Caalamiga Ee Aadan Cadde, ar, مطار آدم عدي الدولي) , formerly known as Mogadishu International Airport, is an international airport serving Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. I ...

, killing five people, including an

AMISOM The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implem ...

soldier. Two attackers also were killed. Black smoke was seen rising out of the ground near the

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

Beledweyne bombings

The next attack occurred a few hours later, as Somali female Member of Parliament

Amina Mohamed Abdi Amina Mohamed Abdi ( so, Aamina Maxamed Cabdi; 21 October 1981 – 23 March 2022) was a Somali politician, she was an MP in the Federal Parliament of Somalia from 2012 till her death, as a member of the opposition Union for Peace and Development ...

left a

polling place A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English and British English, although polling place is the building

. A suicide bomber ran up to Abdi and kissed her before detonating his

explosive vest An explosive belt (also called suicide belt or a suicide vest) is an improvised explosive device, a belt or a vest packed with explosives and armed with a detonator, worn by suicide bombers. Explosive belts are usually packed with ball bearings, ...

, killing several people. Abdi died instantly along with several bodyguards. The injured were rushed to the Beledweyne Hospital, where

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

s set off a

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...

, killing at least 30 people. The blast's impact was powerful, with the explosions destroying not only the hospital, but also nearby buildings and cars. Authorities estimated that at least 48 people were killed by the bombings and 108 others injured.

Beledweyne restaurant attack

Al-Shabaab militants attacked a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

in Beledweyne, killing the retired politician Hassan Dhuhul and many others.

Aftermath

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Somali Prime Minister This is a list of prime ministers of Somalia. The prime minister of Somalia ( so, Ra'iisul wasaaraha Soomaaliya) is the head of government of Somalia. There have been 22 official prime ministers since the office was created in 1956. The first p ...

Mohamed Hussein Roble Mohamed Hussein Roble ( so, Maxamed Xuseen Rooble; born February 1968) is a Somali politician who was the prime minister of Somalia from 23 September 2020. to 25 June 2022. Background He was born in Hobyo in February 1968. He received a BSc i ...

and Somali President

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ( so, Maxaamed Cabdullaahii Maxaamed, ar, محمد عبدالله محمد; born 11 March 1962), also known as Farmaajo, is a Somali politician who served as president of Somalia from 2017 to 2022. He was prime minist ...

both condemned the attacks.

Ali Abdullahi Hussein Ali Abdullahi Hussein (Ali Guudlaawe (, born 1974) is Somalia, Somali politician who has served as the List of presidents of Hirshabelle, President of Hirshabelle from 12 November 2020. Biography Gudlawe completed his primary and secondary educ ...

said that the attacks were the worst such incidents in Beledweyne's history. The

Lusa News Agency The Lusa News Agency ( pt, Lusa – Agência de Notícias de Portugal, SA; ) is the largest news agency in Portugal, as well as the largest news agency in the Portuguese language, incorporated on 28 November 1986 under the name of ''Agência Lus ...

reported that former Education Minister Abdirahman Dahir Osman was among the injured in the attacks, but did not specify which one he was injured in. The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the airport attack on 24 March, expressing condolences to the families of the victims. The

Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( tr, Dışişleri Bakanlığı) is a government ministry of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for the nation's foreign policy and international relations. Established on 2 May 1920, its primary duties are ...

also denounced the attacks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somalia attacks, March 2022 2022 murders in Somalia 2020s building bombings 2020s crimes in Mogadishu 21st-century mass murder in Somalia Al-Shabaab (militant group) attacks Al-Shabaab (militant group) attacks in Mogadishu Attacks on buildings and structures in 2022 Attacks on government buildings and structures Attacks on hospitals Attacks on restaurants in Africa Beledweyne Building bombings in Somalia Car and truck bombings in the 2020s Islamic terrorist incidents in 2022 March 2022 crimes in Africa Mass murder in 2022 Mass murder in Mogadishu Suicide bombings in 2022 March 2022 attacks Terrorist attacks on airports March attacks