WASHINGTON — Bomb blasts in Mogadishu and a town in the country’s Middle Shabelle region killed at least six people and injured 10 others Saturday, police said and witnesses confirmed to VOA.
“An explosives-laden vehicle, which was parked on the road near a restaurant in the busy Hamar Weyne district, went off. I could see the dead bodies of at least three people, two of them women,” Mohamed Haji Nur, a witness, told VOA.
The explosion site is opposite of Somalia’s National Theater, about one kilometer from the president’s office.
The target of the attack is still unknown, but the affected Gel Doh restaurant is frequented by government staff and people from the diaspora for serving traditional Somali food.
In a separate incident, a bomb planted in a livestock market in Jowhar city in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region killed one person and injured three other civilians, Jowhar police Commander Bashir Hassan told a news conference.
It was not immediately clear who had carried out the attacks. However, the Islamist militant group al-Shabab is known for orchestrating bombings and gun attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the Horn of Africa country.
Barre addressed UN General Assembly
Somalian Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre publicly accused Ethiopia before the U.N. General Assembly on Friday of actions that he says “flagrantly violate” Somalia’s territorial integrity.
This accusation comes as tensions continue to escalate between the two neighboring countries since January, when Ethiopia struck a controversial maritime deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
This region, at the northern tip of the country, declared independence in 1991 but lacks international recognition.
Under the deal, Somaliland would lease 20 kilometers of shoreline to Ethiopia in return for recognition, a move that raised alarms in Mogadishu.
“Somalia currently faces a serious threat from Ethiopia’s recent actions, which flagrantly violate our territorial integrity,” Prime Minister Barre stated at the U.N. General Assembly.
Somalia has accused Ethiopia of unlawfully attempting to build a naval base and commercial port in Somaliland.
“Ethiopia’s attempt to annex part of Somalia under the guise of securing sea access is both unlawful and unnecessary,” Barre emphasized, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
Ethiopia, a landlocked nation, has long sought access to the sea, but its move to deal with Somaliland infuriated the Somali government.
Barre elaborated on the implications of Ethiopia’s actions, saying, “Somalia ports have always been accessible for Ethiopia’s legitimate commercial activities, reflecting our commitment to regional trade and cooperation.”
He warned, though, that “Ethiopia’s aggressive maneuvers undermine Somalia’s sovereignty and embolden secessionist movements, which could threaten national unity.”
“These actions also serve as propaganda for terrorist groups like al-Shabab, who exploit Ethiopia’s provocations to recruit and radicalize vulnerable individuals,” he said.
Ethiopia denies accusations
Addressing the General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Taye Atske-Selassie, minister for foreign affairs of Ethiopia, denied Somalia’s accusation.
“Ethiopia’s memorandum of understanding with Somaliland is based on existing political dispensation in Somalia,” he said.
“Our objective is a shared growth and prosperity in the region. Similar agreements have been concluded by other states, and there is no reason for the government of Somalia to incite hostility that obviously intends to cover internal political tensions. I therefore reject the unfounded allegations leveled against my country.”
In a show of defiance, several times Somalia has threatened to expel Ethiopian troops who have been part of an African Union mission against al-Shabab militants since 2007.
Afyare Abdi Elmi, a Mogadishu-based professor of international affairs, told VOA that recent Egyptian military cooperation with Somalia raised concerns in Addis Ababa.
“The stakes are raised further, as Mogadishu has signed a military deal with Cairo and received weapons shipments that have alarmed Ethiopian officials.”
“I am afraid that the unfolding events signal a crucial moment in the Horn of Africa, with the potential to reshape the region’s geopolitical landscape and security dynamics,” said Somalia analyst Abdiqafar Abdi Wardhere, who is based in Virginia.
Last week, the Somali government accused Ethiopia of sending an “unauthorized shipment of arms and ammunition” to Somalia’s semiautonomous region of Puntland.
“Ethiopia must be held accountable for actions threatening to destabilize the Horn of Africa,” Barre warned in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
As the African Union mission prepares to transform at the end of the year, Egypt has offered to replace Ethiopian troops for the first time.
Somalia may also push for the removal of the estimated 10,000 Ethiopian troops stationed in Somalia’s regions along the border, aimed at preventing incursions by Islamist militants.
Although he did not name Egypt, Ethiopia’s foreign minister said that other actors’ actions are undermining regional stability.
“The recent maneuvers of actors from the outside of the Horn of Africa region undermine these efforts. Ethiopia will not be deterred from its resolute commitment to combating terrorism,” Atske-Selassie said. “I am confident that the government of Somalia will reckon and recognize the sacrifice we made to Somalia’s liberation from the grip of terrorist groups.”
Some information in this report is from Reuters.
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