Somalia: 13 dead and 20 injured in truck bomb attack

At least 13 people died and 20 others were injured in a truck bomb attack on Saturday in the town of Beledweyne, located in central Somalia.

A vehicle filled with explosives was thrown at a checkpoint in Somalia, causing a devastating explosion. According to Ahmed Yare Adan, a police officer quoted by “Mediapart”, “We found the bodies of 13 people, most of them civilians who were nearby (…) Around 20 injured people were sent to various hospitals. »

The attack has not yet been claimed. It comes at a time when the Somali government is facing significant setbacks in its war against the “Al-Shabab” rebel movement. This week, Mogadishu requested a three-month postponement of the withdrawal of African Union troops, planned by the end of September, from the UN.

Security under threat

For more than 15 years, the Somali government, with the support of the international community, has been fighting the insurgency led by the rebel group “Al-Shabab”. This movement, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist operations which have caused numerous victims in Somalia.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud recently promised a “total war” to eradicate Al-Shabab rebels after a bloody attack on a hotel in Mogadishu.

However, despite military operations carried out by government forces, local clan militias, the African Union force (Atmis), and US airstrikes, Al-Shabab fighters continue to pose a persistent threat in Somalia.