UN envoy Haysom warns against IEDs, pays tribute to Oct 14 victims

UN envoy for Somalia Nicholas Haysom has warned against use of IEDs by violent extremist groups noting innocent civilians were increasingly becoming victims of such attacks.

Speaking during a ceremony to mark the October 14 truck bombing anniversary, Haysom said the killing of civilians served no political purpose.

“As we honour the memories of the deceased this day, I call upon the forces of violent extremism to refrain from using IEDs as a weapon of insurgency,” said Mr. Haysom. “Owing to the indiscriminate nature of IED attacks, most of the victims are usually innocent civilians — men, women and children. No political purpose can ever be served by the random killing of civilians.”

The new envoy also paid tribute to families who lost their loved ones during the attack and praised Somalis for their resilience in light of such difficult situations.

“Our thoughts also go out to those survivors of the explosion whose lives were irreversibly altered by the terrible events of 14 October 2017,” said Mr. Haysom. “May they and their loved ones find the strength to overcome the lasting physical and mental scars left by this heinous attack.”

At least 587 people were killed in the attack billed as the deadliest in the continent involving used of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Another 316 people were injured while over 2,000 children were orphaned.

According to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), more than 1,400 people were killed by IED attacks in 2016 in Somalia.

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