UN and AU slam Mogadishu Seaport attack

United Nations and African Union have condemned the deadly suicide car bomb at the gate Mogadishu port, which claimed lives of over thirty people and injured other dozens.

Michael Keating, the UN envoy in Somalia has expressed shock at the numerous civilian deaths caused by Sunday’s bombing, which its responsibility was claimed by the Al-Shabaab group.

“This latest atrocity by Al-Shabaab militants, taking place on a religious holiday, provides fresh evidence of their disregard for the lives and hopes of Somali citizens,” Keating said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

“The bombing may be intended to signal Al-Shabaab’s rejection of the 2016 electoral process,” he said, pledging not to let terrorism stop the momentum.

Keating praised the essential role Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) security forces have played in protecting electoral sites around the country while recognizing that security in Mogadishu remains the greatest challenge.

AU envoy in Somalia, Francisco Madeira, for his part condemned the heinous attack in Mogadishu.

“A deliberate attack on civilians going about their lives is not only heinous but also attests to Al-Shabaab’s lack of consideration for human life. By disrupting and taking the lives of innocent Somali citizens and denying them the right to go about their daily life freely, peacefully and in confidence,” said Madeira.

He condoles with the bereaved families and wishes those injured in the attack quick recovery.

A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated a few meters away from the entrance of the seaport, where civilians normally gather.

A spokesman for the militant group told media that Al-Shabaab had targeted security personnel assigned to the seaport facility as they “had been trained to provide security for so-called elections.”

The group said the attack, carried out by a bomber in a minibus packed with explosives, killed 30 Somali police officers.

Most of the victims, however, turned out to be truck drivers and port workers who were having tea in tea kiosks when the bomb went off on Sunday morning.