Somalia Shattered By deadliest Terrorist Attack

Somalia, one the most unstable countries in the world, is mourning the death of at least 300 people, after a truck bombing in the capital, Mogadishu on Saturday.

Below are nine things to know about the terrorist attack that hit the Horn of Africa nation.

Sources; The Guardian,  Azvision.az, Military.com, new24,  Newsweek,  Business Insider,

               Daily Sabah, Associated Press

Worst ever attack

Saturday’s bomb is so far the single deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia’s history. It killed at least 300 civilians, leaving hundreds of other critically injured.

Protector turned attacker

One of the attackers, who drove the truck that set off the main blast served in the country’s military before leaving in 2010 to join the Al-Shabab militant group.

Revenge mission

The former soldier may have been on a revenge mission, after a US-led military operation in Bariire, his home town in August, 2017.

The operation led to the deaths of several civilians, including children.

Missed target

Intelligence reports said the attackers had targeted a busy airport in the capital, which hosts international organizations, including the United Nations and African Union peace-keeping contingents.

The attackers however, detonated the bombs on a busy road after security guards stopped them at a check-point before they could enter the compound.

Turkey intervenes

Turkey is leading the efforts to assist Somalia following the devastating attack. On Sunday, a day after the attack, Ahmet Demircan, Turkey’s Health Minister flew into the country to oversee the efforts.

Turkish military planes evacuated the critically injured to Ankara for further treatment. 

Eiffel Tower shows solidarity

Eiffel Tower, the iconic building in the French capital, Paris has led several leading cities in the world in showing solidarity with Somalia.

On Monday night, it turned off its lights to pay tribute to the victims. Toronto, a leading city in Canada was also lit in the colors of the Somali flag.

President leads the way

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed led top government officials in donating blood to the victims.

Source of explosives

It is suspected that the military-grade explosives used in the attack were stolen from the African Mission in Somali (Amisom)-led peace-keeping mission in the country.

Gruesome scenes

According to hospital reports, at least 130 bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

Some hospital staff also said they saw ‘unspeakable horrors’ and the smell of blood was strong inside the hospitals.

Kenya’s Political Cross-roads

Kenya heads into a historic presidential re-run, at the back of a cloud of uncertainty that has gripped the nation since the Supreme Court nullified Presidential Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election.

There are doubts if Raila Odinga reverse his decision to opt out of the 26^th October re-run, while has Kenyatta added to the tensions with pronouncements targeted at his rival and the international community.

“I want to tell the international community that there is no problem in Kenya. The only problem we have is one man called Raila Odinga (NASA leader),” Daily Nation quoted Kenyatta on his campaign trail in Nyeri County.

Kenyatta’s words only fuel an already charged political environment, pitting his supporters and those behind Odinga.

The two leaders hold the power to cool down the temperatures through acts of statesmanship that Kenya desperately needs now.

Their die-hard lieutenants continue to let loose tongue all over the country while police officers have met demonstrations by opposition with brutal force, leading to dozens of deaths and destruction of property.

Brutality by security forces has so far claimed at least 33 lives since Supreme Court annulled Kenyatta’s re-election in August, according to a joint report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Intolerance from the government and the opposition supporters is fever-high and threatens to plunge Kenya into a bloodbath like it happened 2007-08.

The 37-page report titled, Kill those Criminals: Security Forces’ Violations in Kenya’s August 2017 Elections, has placed the country’s security forces at the center of human rights violations in the opposition strongholds.

While the government’s security forces clobber the opposition supporters, Odinga has sought attention from the international community, in a move that indicts Kenyatta’s leadership call.

The lack of political magnanimity by Kenya’s leading political chiefs has fast spread across the nation, and calls for secession are getting louder.

Seeds of discord amongst the opposition supporters are growing fast and the feeling of disenfranchisement is getting stronger.

One part of the country feels included in the government while another feels left out, the demonstrations and ethnic bile pouring out on social media say it all.

Kenya is in a precarious political situation and any wrong move could sent our country to the dogs.

Jubilee’s use of majority numbers in both houses to pass laws that have been vehemently opposed by the National Super Alliance (NASA) has worsened an already fragile environment.

At the heart of Odinga’s threat to opt out of the re-run is the refusal by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) top officials to quit office despite the integrity questions hanging over their heads.

Jubilee’s open support for Ezra Chiloba, the commission’s Chief Executive officer has further led to scrutiny on the independence of the electoral body.

Kenya’s stability rests on statesmanship from Kenyatta and Odinga, tolerance amongst all citizens despite the fierce political differences, goodwill from the beleaguered IEBC commissioners led by Chiloba and restraint from the security forces as they quell the NASA-led demonstrations.

The days ahead represent a stern test for Kenya. The nation may come out more united than ever or bleeding, depending on the political directions from Kenyatta and Odinga.