UN Report Says Somalia Drought May Have Killed 43,000 In 2022

The research, led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, found that half the deaths in Somalia were children younger than five [File: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters]  

Al Jazeera: Somalia drought may have killed 43,000 in 2022, half under 5: UN  

After five consecutive failed rainy seasons, rate of fatalities could rise in first half of 2023, research finds. 

Somalia’s ongoing record drought may have killed as many as 43,000 people last year, and half of them were children under the age of five, according to a report released by the government and United Nations agencies. 

The research released on Monday marked the first attempt to estimate countrywide deaths in a crisis that experts warn is more severe than the country’s last major drought in 2017 and 2018.  

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WNU Editor: The UN report is here .... New study finds that 43 000 “excess deaths” may have occurred in 2022 from the drought in Somalia (WHO). 

UN Report Says Somalia Drought May Have Killed 43,000 In 2022  

 Report: 43,000 estimated dead in Somalia drought last year -- AP 

Somalia's drought killed 43000 last year, half under five - study -- Reuters  

Somalia drought may have killed 43,000 last year - UN -- BBC 

Report: 43,000 Died in 2022 Somalia Droughts -- VOA  

An estimated 43,000 people died in Somalia's drought last year, according to new report -- ABC News Australia  

43,000 died last year due to drought in Somalia, report estimates -- Axios

Scores Killed In Twin Explosions At Somalia's Education Ministry In Mogadishu

 

Daily Mail: Twin car-bomb explosion leaves at least 30 dead in Somalia's capital, including children five years after blast in same location killed 500 

* One hospital worker counted at least 30 bodies following the explosion 

* The blasts ripped through a busy junction in Somalia's capital Mogadishu 

* Five years ago a large blast at the same location murdered 500 people 

* The bombers targeted a location near Somali government buildings 

Two car bombs have exploded at a busy junction in Somalia's capital near key government offices, causing 'scores of civilian casualties' including children, national police said. 

One hospital worker counted at least 30 bodies amid fears of possibly many more. 

The attack in Mogadishu occurred on a day when the president, prime minister and other senior officials were meeting to discuss expanded efforts to combat violent extremism, especially by the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab group that often targets the capital.  

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Scores Killed In Twin Explosions At Somalia's Education Ministry In Mogadishu  

Scores killed in twin explosions at Somalia's education ministry -- France 24  

Mogadishu car bombs leave ‘scores of civilian casualties’ -- The Guardian  

Car bombs target Somalia education ministry -- BBC  

Somalia: Blasts in Mogadishu kill dozens -- DW

United Nations Says 'Famine Is At The Door' In Somalia

 

The Guardian: Drought likely to push parts of Somalia into famine by end of year, warns UN 

World is ‘in last minute of the 11th hour to save lives’, says aid chief, amid fears that crisis is worse than 2010 famine, when 250,000 died 

Two areas of Somalia are likely to enter a state of famine later this year as the country battles an unrelenting drought and flare-ups of conflict, the UN humanitarian chief has warned. 

Martin Griffiths said the latest UN food insecurity analysis had found “concrete indications” that famine would occur in the Baidoa and Burhakaba districts of south-central Somalia between October and December unless aid efforts were significantly stepped up.  

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WNU Editor: The aid is coming in, but apparently it is not enough .... Somalia receiving unprecedented levels of food aid, with 'famine at the door' (UN News).  

Update: It looks like this is the Somali government's priority .... Somalia's new government focused on Al-Shabab threat (Arab News). 

United Nations Says 'Famine Is At The Door' In Somalia 

UN says part of Somalia will reach famine later this year -- AP  

UN humanitarian chief warns of looming famine in Somalia -- Reuters  

UN warns famine 'at the door' in Somalia -- France 24  

More than 700 children have died in Somalia nutrition centres, U.N. says -- Reuters  

UN humanitarian chief says ‘famine at the door’ in Somalia -- Al Jazeera  

"Famine is at the door" in Somalia, UN aid chief warns -- Axios

Hotel Siege In Somalia Ends After 30 Hours: 21 Dead, 117 Injured

 

Daily Mail: Somali hotel siege that left 20 dead ends after more than 30 hours: Security forces rescue 106 hostages from inside Mogadishu's Hayat after it was stormed by Islamists linked to al-Qaeda 

* A siege which saw at least 20 people gunned down in Somalia ended at midnight after a 30-hours siege 

* Islamist militants attacked a hotel in Mogadishu led by al Qaeda allies Al Shabaab on Friday, killing residents 

* Gunmen barricaded themselves inside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, fighting off armed security cops 

* Dozens of victims' relatives at scene as bullets and flames ripped through the popular hotel 

Somali authorities have rescued 106 hostages and ended a deadly attack on a hotel in the capital in which at least 20 people were gunned down by Islamic militants. 

It took Somali forces more than 30 hours to contain the gunmen who stormed Mogadishu's Hayat Hotel on Friday evening in an assault that started with loud explosions. 

On Sunday morning, the area surrounding the hotel was quiet and the roads blocked by a heavy security presence as emergency workers and bomb disposal experts sought to clear the premises of any explosives and remove rubble.  

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Hotel Siege In Somalia Ends After 30 Hours: 21 Dead, 117 Injured 

Hotel siege in Somalia ends after 30 hours with 21 dead, 117 hurt -- CBS/AP  

Somalia hotel siege: More than 20 die in al-Shabab attack -- BBC  

Somali forces end hotel siege by jihadists after at least 20 believed killed -- The Guardian  

Somali forces end deadly al-Shabaab hotel siege -- France 24  

Somalis anxiously await news of loved ones as hotel siege ends -- AFP

Al Shabab Jihadists Storm And Seize Major Mogadishu Hotel

 

Al Jazeera: Somalia: Attackers seize control of hotel in Mogadishu  

Assault in the Somali capital came after two car bomb blasts and gunfire as the armed group al-Shabab claimed responsibility. 

Attackers seized control of a popular hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, following two car bomb blasts and gunfire. 

Abdikadir Abdirahman, director and founder of Mogadishu’s Aamin ambulance services, said late on Friday so far nine wounded people were carried away from the hotel.  

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Al Shabab Jihadists Storm And Seize Major Mogadishu Hotel 

Gunmen storm upscale hotel in Somalia's capital -- CNN  

Unidentified attackers seize control of hotel in Somali capital -- Reuters  

Casualties reported as jihadist group seizes hotel in Somali capital -- The Guardian/AFP  

Explosions, Gunfire Reported at Hotel in Somali Capital -- VOA

UN Official Says Somalia Is ‘The Worst Humanitarian Crisis He Has Ever Seen’

A Somali man disposes of his dead livestock in a country that has seen its worst drought in 40 years. Photograph: Feisal Omar/Reuters  

The Guardian: Somalia: ‘The worst humanitarian crisis we’ve ever seen’ 

Children starving to death ‘before our eyes’ say aid workers as G7 leaders warned only ‘massive’ and urgent funding will avert famine 

Only a “massive” and immediate scaling-up of funds and humanitarian relief can save Somalia from famine, a UN spokesperson has warned, as aid workers report children starving to death “before our eyes” amid rapidly escalating levels of malnutrition. 

In a message to G7 leaders who are meeting from Sunday in Germany, Michael Dunford, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) regional director for east Africa, said governments had to donate urgently and generously if there was to be any hope of avoiding catastrophe in the Horn of Africa country.  

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WNU editor: There are US troops in Somalia .... U.S. reinserts troops in Somalia after long-awaited elections are completed (Long War Journal). 

UN Official Says Somalia Is ‘The Worst Humanitarian Crisis He Has Ever Seen’  

Somalia faces climate emergency and famine as fourth rainy season fails -- NRC  

Somali children starving ‘before our eyes’ as Western aid falters: Charities -- Arab News  

Urgent appeal for aid as Somalia slides into catastrophic famine -- RFI  

Aid workers say children in Somalia are dying of starvation 'before our eyes' -- The Week  

No water. Little food. Shelters made of clothes: inside Somalia’s Bulo Garas camp -- The Guardian

UN Report Says Nearly Half Of Somalia's Population Risk Starvation And Death

Cattle die from drought in Somalia, June 7, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/ @Abdirah25215398 

 Reuters: Famine risk rises in Somalia as rains fail, food prices soar, U.N. says 

LONDON (Reuters) - Nearly a quarter of a million people are facing starvation in Somalia as a drought worsens and global food prices hover near record highs, United Nations agencies said on Monday. 

The agencies said a fourth consecutive rainy season had failed in the Horn of Africa country and meteorologists were warning of another below-average rainy season later this year as the world's climate becomes more erratic. 

At the same time, world food prices are close to record highs hit in March as the Russia-Ukraine war roils markets for staple grains and edible oils.  

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WNU Editor: Somalia is not the only place facing a humanitarian disaster .... From the Field: Ethiopia's worst drought threatens 'deadly consequences' for women (UN News). More here .... Aid Agencies: Some 20 Million Could Face Starvation in East Africa (VOA), and here .... Water scarcity and drought in East Africa are 'everybody's problem,' says UN scientist (CBC). 

UN Report Says Nearly Half Of Somalia's Population Risk Starvation And Death 

'Explosion of child deaths' imminent in Horn of Africa if world does not act immediately -- UNICEF 

Six Million Somalians Hit by Severe Drought Conditions -- Bloomberg  

Nearly half of Somalia’s population risk starvation, death, warns UN food body -- People's Gazette  

More than 200,000 face starvation in Somalia as rains fail: UN -- Al Jazeera

After Days Of Unrest And Clashes Somalia’s President Drops His Bid To Extend Term

 

Euronews/Reuters: Bowing to pressure, Somalia's president agrees not to extend presidential term 

MOGADISHU (Reuters) -Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said on Wednesday he would drop an attempt to extend his term by two years, bowing to domestic and international pressure after clashes in the capital Mogadishu split security forces along clan lines. 

Hours earlier, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble had denounced the proposed term extension and called for preparations for a new presidential election. 

The president’s term expired in February, but the country failed to hold elections as planned. 

Earlier this month, the lower house of parliament voted to extend Mohamed’s four-year term by another two years. 

The Senate rejected the move, provoking a political crisis.  

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WNU Editor: It looks like the situation has been defused .... Somali Opposition Welcomes President Dropping Term Extension (VOA). 

More News On The Political turmoil In Somalia  

Bowing to pressure, Somali president drops bid to extend term -- Al Jazeera 

Somali PM urges civilians to go home as Mogadishu tensions ease -- AFP  

Somali president calls for elections amid unrest -- DW  

Somalia President Drops 2-year Term Extension, Accepts Dialogue with Political Rivals -- VOA 

Somali president calls for elections after worst political violence in years -- AFP

Somalia Election Stalemate Triggers Violence Among Political Factions

 

VOA: Somalia Election Stalemate Triggers Violence 

Intermittent gunfire rocked the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday as rival forces clashed following the breakdown of talks on elections. 

Witnesses and residents said the fighting took place between federal government forces of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo, and members of the Somali military who are aligning themselves with opposition leaders. 

As residents started to break their Ramadan fast early in the evening, clashes erupted in the vicinity of Mogadishu’s K-4 junction. 

A witness who did not want to be named for security reasons said he saw government troops and rival forces exchange small arms fire as well as rocket propelled grenades. Casualties are not yet known.  

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More News On Somalia 

Gunfire erupts in Somali capital amid president's standoff -- AP  

Somalia violence: Rival units fight amid row over president's term -- BBC  

Gunfire Erupts in Mogadishu as Somalia’s Political Feud Turns Violent -- NYT  

Somali ex-leader says soldiers attacked his home, blames president -- Reuters  

Gunfire erupts in Somalia as fears mount over civil war -- Africa News  

Somali opposition fighters ‘cordon off parts of Mogadishu’ -- Al Jazeera

White House’s New Restrictions On Drone Strikes Will Benefit al-Shabaab In Somalia

A soldier walks past rubble in the aftermath of an attack on the Afrik Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, Feb. 1, 2021. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the deadly assault. 

VOA: Somalia Fears New US Airstrike Guidance Is Benefiting al-Shabab 

A key U.S. partner in the fight against terrorism is growing increasingly uneasy about the Biden administration’s new guidance on the use of drones and airstrikes, concerned that the changes are giving an already emboldened al-Qaida affiliate more room to operate. 

Since U.S. President Joe Biden took office January 20, the United States has not launched a single airstrike against al-Shabab in Somalia, after seven strikes were conducted from January 1 to 19. 

Senior Somali military officials worry the new guidance, which has imposed tighter controls on ordering airstrikes and requires the White House to sign off on operations, means al-Shabab will begin to gather momentum. 

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WNU Editor: If al-Shabaab believes the U.S. is disengaging from Somalia by limiting military operations like drone surveillance and strikes, to me it is a given that they will organize and intensify their attacks. 

After Tens Of Billions In Assistance, Somalia Is Headed Towards Another Tragic Collapse

 

19FortyFive: Somalia Is Headed Towards Another Tragic Collapse 

After more than $50 billion in foreign assistance, much U.S. provided, Somalia now faces its worst crisis since its collapse 30 years ago. 

It has now been a week-and-a-half since President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s four-year-term presidential term ended. 

Plans for elections collapsed after Farmajo (and U.S. Ambassador Donald Yamamoto) sought to stack the process. 

Opposition politicians balked. While Farmajo has refused to step down, a dwindling number of Somalis accept his legitimacy. 

Wardheer News, one of Somalia’s leading and most reputable news sites, explained, “Farmajo not only failed to satisfy the oath of the office which compels to hold election prior to his term but…failed to carry out consultation with the opposition groups for the possible establishment of an agreed interim administration until a new parliament and a president is elected.” 

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WNU Editor: Tens of billions in assistance. And for what? 

 More News On Somalia 

Somalia government forces and opposition clash in Mogadishu over delayed election -- ABC News (Australia) 

Doctor says 5 killed in Somalia’s election-related violence -- AP 

Violence in Somalia: Security forces fire on protest over delayed election -- France 24 

Somali government forces, opposition clash in Mogadishu over election protest -- Reuters 

US sends security alert following armed clashes in Somalia's capital -- Garowe Online 

Somalia's Jubbaland region rejects national president's inclusion in election talks -- Reuters 

Tensions rise between Somalia and UAE over delayed elections -- AP 

Doctors Report Sudden Coronavirus Spike in Somalia -- VOA 

‘Triple threat’ adds to long-standing crises menacing food security in Somalia – FAO -- UN News

Somali Parliament Ousts Prime Minister

VOA: Somalia's Parliament Votes Out Prime Minister

WASHINGTON/MOGADISHU - Somalia’s parliament has removed Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre in an unexpected vote of no-confidence, the speaker of parliament said.

Holding a press conference Saturday after the voting, the speaker, Mohamed Mursal Abdurahman, accused the government of Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre of “ineffectiveness.”

“One hundred and seventy lawmakers favored the motion against the prime minister, and only 8 lawmakers opposed,” the speaker of parliament, announced. “Therefore, the motion has passed, and we urge Somalia's president to appoint a new prime minister.”

The speaker has accused Prime Minister Khayre and his government of not fulfilling promises they made to the nation.

Read more ....

More News On Somalia's Parliament Ousting The Prime Minister

Somalia's parliament ousts prime minister in no-confidence vote -- Reuters
Somalia removes prime minister in no-confidence vote -- The Guardian/AFP
Somalia's parliament votes to remove PM Hassan Ali Khaire -- Al Jazeera

Somalia Says The UAE Wants Somalia To Join The Yemen War

Middle East Monitor: Somalia rejects ‘ridiculous’ UAE incentive to join Yemen war

The UAE allegedly offered to reopen the Sheikh Zayed Hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu on the condition Somalia take part in the war in Yemen.

Somalia has rejected as “ridiculous” an offer made by the UAE for the African state to join the war in Yemen in return for financial incentives, the country’s foreign minister has revealed.

According to Somalia News, the UAE offered to reopen the Sheikh Zayed Hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu on the condition Somalia take part in the war in Yemen, while officially claiming the Socotra archipelago as Somali territory. The Emirati-run Sheikh Zayed Hospital offered free healthcare to Somali citizens until it was closed by the UAE in 2018, as part of a diplomatic row between Abu Dhabi and Mogadishu.

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Update: Somalia rejects ‘ridiculous’ UAE incentive to join Yemen war (Somaliland)

WNU Editor: The last thing that Somalia needs right now is to get involved in the Yemen war.

Somalia Has Only One Hospital To Treat Covid-19 Patients

Guardian: Ramadan in Somalia: fears coronavirus cases will climb as gatherings continue

Government rejects claim by militant groups that the virus does not harm Muslims and imposes night-time curfew

Somalia has recorded a rise in coronavirus cases in the past week, with the majority of those affected reportedly young people.

So far there have been 237 confirmed cases and eight deaths in the country. A member of parliament and a state minister are among those who have died.

“The sharp increase is due to the fact that we are testing patients with all symptoms, not necessarily contact tracing,” said Dr Mohamed M Ali Fuje, the government’s newly appointed chief medical officer.

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WNU Editor: Even in a pandemic, the war continues in Somalia .... U.S. Airstrikes Hit All-Time High as Coronavirus Spreads in Somalia (The Intercept).

Somali Suicide Truck Bomb Attack In Mogadishu Kills 90

Daily Mail: Suicide bomber kills more than 90 people including foreigners in attack on checkpoint in Mogadishu

* WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
* A 'devastating' blast ripped through a security checkpoint close to a taxation office in Mogadishu today
* Mogadishu Mayor said at least 90 civilians, including students and two Turkish nationals, had been injured
* The founder of a Mogadishu ambulance service counted the death toll at 76 and said it was likely to rise
* In early December militants sparked a seven-hour gunfight when they stormed an upmarket hotel in the city

An explosion at a busy checkpoint in Somalia's capital Mogadishu today killed at least 90 people and wounded dozens, according to an international agency working inside the country.

Rescuers carried dead bodies past the twisted wreckage of a vehicle and minibus taxis smeared with blood.

'The number of casualties we have confirmed is 76 dead and 70 wounded, it could still be higher,' the director of the private Aamin Ambulance services, Abdukadir Abdirahman Haji said.

The blast took place at the Ex-Control checkpoint, a tax collection centre in Mogadishu, and comes amid persistent insecurity in the Horn of Africa nation.

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More News On Today's Truck Bomb attack In Mogadishu

At least 90 people killed in Mogadishu checkpoint blast: international organization -- Reuters
Truck bomb in Somalia’s capital kills at least 78 people -- AP
Car bomb kills dozens in Somali capital Mogadishu -- France 24
Somalia suicide car bomb attack rocks capital, leaving at least 78 dead -- CNN
Dozens killed in Mogadishu car bomb attack -- Al Jazeera
Truck bomb kills scores in Mogadishu -- The Guardian
Somalia: Car bomb in Mogadishu kills scores of people -- DW
Rush-hour car bomb kills dozens in Somali capital -- BBC

Day-Long Bomb And Gun Attack By Three Al Shabaab Militants In Central Mogadishu Ends With 29 Civilians Killed

Reuters: Somali militant siege ends, at least 29 civilians dead

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali government troops shot dead three Islamist militants holed up in a building in central Mogadishu on Friday, police said, ending a day-long bomb and gun attack that killed at least 29 civilians.

Islamist al Shabaab fighters launched the assault with a suicide car bomb outside the Maka Al-Mukarama hotel on Thursday evening, destroying other structures, igniting a huge fire and leaving people wounded in the rubble.

The militants - who are fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government - fled to a neighboring building and opened fire on special forces and other soldiers sent to flush through out throughout Friday.

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More News On Today's Terror Attack In Central Mogadishu

The Latest: Siege in Somali capital ends, attackers killed -- AP
Somali forces end day-long Mogadishu siege -- BBC
Deadly siege in Somalia's capital ends, attackers killed -- ABC News/AP
Siege ends after deadly Al Shabaab attack in central Mogadishu -- France 24
Gun Battle in Somali Capital Ends in Death of Shabab Attackers -- The New York Times
Somalia: Many killed in al-Shabab attack in Mogadishu -- Al Jazeera

U.S. Military Says Six Airstrikes Near The Somali Capital Killed 62 al-Shabaab Fighters

Al Jazeera: US army says 62 al-Shabab fighters killed in Somalia air raids

The al-Qaeda-linked fighters were killed in six air strikes carried out over the weekend, according to the US army.

The US military has said it killed 62 al-Shabab fighters in six air raids on Saturday and Sunday in the vicinity of Gandarsh in Somalia's south-central Banaadir province.

The military's Africa Command (Africom) said on Monday that four attacks were carried out on Saturday, killing 34 fighters, and two more on Sunday, which killed 28.

"Africa Command and our Somali partners conducted these air strikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks," Africom said in a statement.

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More News On This Weekend's U.S. Airstrikes In Somalia

Al-Shabab in Somalia: Air strikes kill 62 militants, US says -- BBC
US conducts 6 airstrikes against Somalia extremists, 62 dead -- AP
U.S. says air strikes killed 62 militants in Somalia -- Reuters
US airstrikes in Somalia kill 62 militants, US military says -- CNN
AFRICOM hits Shabaab near Somali capital -- Long War Journal
U.S. kills 62 al-Shabaab militants with massive air assault in Somalia -- Washington Times
Dozens dead in US airstrikes on Somali extremists -- The Hill
U.S. airstrikes kill 62 al-Shabab terrorists in Somalia. -- UPI
More than 60 Somali militants killed in air strikes, says US military -- The Independent

Al-Shabaab Attack Kills 46 Ugandan Soldiers In Somalia

Up to 46 Ugandan peacekeepers killed in double suicide car bomb attack by Islamist militants

The Guardian: Al-Shabaab attack kills dozens of Ugandan soldiers in Somalia

Up to 46 Ugandan peacekeepers killed in double suicide car bomb attack by Islamist militants.

Dozens of Ugandan soldiers are thought to have been killed when Islamist extremists attacked their base on Sunday in the latest of a series of bloody strikes against peacekeepers in Somalia.

Local officials told the Guardian that as many as 46 Ugandan troops, part of the 22,000-strong regional force in Somalia, died in the attack by the al-Qaida affiliated al-Shabaab movement in the town of Bulamarer, 80 miles south-west of the capital, Mogadishu, at around 9am local time.

Ugandan officials have said only four soldiers were killed in the attack, which was repulsed with heavy casualties among the extremists.

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WNU Editor: There are some claims that 59 Ugandan soldiers were killed .... In Somalia, Shabab Attacks Leave Ugandan Peacekeepers Dead (New York Times). Ugandan officials are claiming that only 4 of their soldiers were killed while they killed 22 Al-Shabaab fighters .... 22 Al Shabaab militants killed in Somalia (IBTimes).

Thirty Percent of Somalia's Soldiers Are Unarmed

Somali soldiers attend a training session during the opening ceremony of a Turkish military base in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sept. 30, 2017.

VOA: Somalia: Up to 30 Percent of Soldiers Unarmed

Since September 2017, al-Shabab militants have overrun four Somali government military bases, killing more than 60 soldiers and seizing large quantities of weapons. Now, a military assessment by the Somali government found some of the troops manning these bases are completely unarmed.

The "Operational Readiness Assessment" conducted by the government found that approximately 30 percent of the soldiers in the bases do not have weapons. The evaluators said some units also lack medium and heavy weaponry, and some are "undermanned."

On Tuesday, Somali Defense Minister Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman acknowledged the army's shortcomings.

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WNU Editor: Corruption was the reason why the U.S. suspended military aid to the Somalia military last week .... US Suspends Aid to Much of Somali Military (VOA).

Latest Terror Attack In Somalia Ends. 29 Killed. Scores Wounded

Reuters: At least 29 dead after Islamist attack on Somali hotel

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - An Islamist attack on a hotel in Mogadishu ended on Sunday after 29 people were killed during a siege lasting nearly 12 hours, police said, prompting the government to sack two top security officials over their failure to stop repeated attacks.

The attack proved once again that insurgents can carry out deadly assaults in the heart of the Somali capital. Twin bombings in Mogadishu two weeks ago killed more than 350 people, the worst such attacks in the country’s history. More than 50 people are still missing.

Islamist militants al Shabaab claimed responsibility for this weekend’s attack, which took place ahead of a planned meeting to try to defuse tensions between the federal government and regional states. Government officials had begun to meet at the hotel to discuss strategy.

“So far I am sure 29 people died - the death toll may rise,” Abdullahi Nur, a police officer, told Reuters.

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WNU Editor: The fall-out has begun .... Somali police, intelligence chiefs fired after deadly attack (Washington Post).

More News On The Latest Terror Attack In Somalia

Islamists attack Somali hotel, killing at least 29, police say -- The Fiscal Times
Somalia police end night-long siege of Mogadishu hotel, 23 dead -- Fox News
Insurgents storm hotel after suicide bombers kill at least 23 people -- The Australian
Mogadishu car bombs leave at least 23 dead -- CNN
The deadliest attacks in Somalia since 2010 -- Yahoo News UK