UN envoy for Somalia condemns bomb blasts in Mogadishu

The UN envoy for Somalia condemned in strongest possible terms Monday’s two bomb blasts in Mogadishu that killed 10 people mostly civilians.

“These latest attacks come at a time when solidarity, not violence, among Somalis is badly needed,” said Michael Keating, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the African country, in a press statement.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia Michael Keating said the attacks came at a time when the country is grappling with a severe drought that has already claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

“The timing and suffering caused by today’s blasts are outrageous; this violent extremism cannot possibly be justified,” Keating said.

The first attack took place near a Somali army facility and was operated by a suicide bomber while the second explosion occurred when a vehicle filled with explosives drove into the gate of Weheliye hotel on a busy capital street.