Mogadishu truck bomb flattened properties worth more than $6.3 million

After three days-long investigation, Goobjoog Business has established the bombing that hit Mogadishu’s busiest intersection in Soobe  on 14th October had destroyed businesses and properties worth more than $6.3 million dollars.

Soobe/Km5 junction, where a huge lorry packed with explosives detonated in a rush hour time was a business hub of Somalia’s capital city and hosts large number of enterprises ranging from hotels, restaurants, banks, petroleum and foreign exchange dealers to khat sellers.

A group of analytical journalists from Goobjoog Business visited the scene three days after the bombing and investigated the economic damage caused by the single deadliest attack ever in the living history of Somalia.

The group met more than 80% of the management/owners of whom their properties were destroyed in the attack. Dozens of stalls, International Bank of Somalia (Km5 branch) and the famous Safari Hotel in the heart of the junction were burnt into ashes among the buildings.

Jibril Mohamud Ibar, owner of Bilal Pharmacy confirmed that he lost— majority of his stock— $28,000. “We have recently renovated the building and we lost here more than 75% of our drugs” he said.

Safari Hotel management told Goobjoog Business that the entire hotel building including three newly constructed halls, 48 rooms and offices were completely destroyed and needs to be started from scratch.

Somali computers company which is one of most popular computer outlets in Mogadishu lost its Km5 branch in the October 14 attack goods worth more than $183,000, as the management told Goobjoog Business.

To sum up briefly, the table below details the breakdown of the total loss $6,306,061.77 into business categories:

The above total amount is an estimation of the goods and properties destroyed in the attack by the traders though the exact amount of loss can be higher considering the extent of the damage caused the enormous explosion

During the site survey research done by Goobjoog Business, it felt that the local business people who lost property in the Zoope junction have been negatively affected emotionally by loosing dear ones as well as properties in the attack.

Some of the business people we spoke to informed us their business used to create jobs. Similarly many family members were relying on them for financial support and their faces displayed a feeling of despair.

As a result, it is very clear crystal that these business community needs huge support from the federal and regional governments, Somali people as well as the international community to extend a humanitarian hand for them to resume building their vibrant businesses once again in order to show their outstanding resilience that is synonymous with the Somali community.

Goobjoog Business