The suicide attack in Beledweyne, Somalia, shocked the world. A column of smoke rising into the sky and rubble littering the streets bear witness to the violence of the explosion. According to authorities, the attack was carried out using a truck loaded with explosives, which was thrown at a Somali special forces checkpoint. The consequences were devastating: at least 13 people lost their lives and more than 40 others were injured, some seriously.
Images circulating on social media depict a landscape of destruction. Buildings, businesses and even homes were reduced to ruins by the power of the explosion. Emergency services are hard at work searching for possible survivors buried under the rubble. The governor of the Hiiraan region, Abdulahi Ahmed Malim, deplores the extent of the damage: “The entire area has been destroyed,” he declared.
Although the attack has not yet been claimed, it comes in the context of the fight against the Shebab, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda active in Somalia. The Somali government has been carrying out a military offensive in the center of the country for more than a year to try to dislodge the Shebab and restore stability in the region. As part of this offensive, government forces, supported by local clan militias, managed to liberate certain strategic towns and roads.
However, despite support from the African Union force and US military airstrikes, Somali authorities recently warned the United Nations that they had suffered several significant setbacks. They asked for the withdrawal of African Union troops to be postponed for three months in order to be able to consolidate their advances and continue their fight against the Shebab.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has expressed his determination to continue the fight against the Shebab Islamists. Through official media, he offered his condolences to the victims of the attack and their families.
This attack highlights the fragility of the situation in Somalia and the need to continue efforts to put an end to the instability and violence plaguing the country. The international community must continue to support the Somali government in its fight against terrorist groups and in its efforts to establish lasting peace and security.