At least 25 dead and 30 injured in car bomb attack on restaurant in Somalia

At least 25 people died today and 30 were injured in a suicide car bomb attack on a restaurant in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The attack hit the popular Lul Yemeni restaurant, which is located near the city's port.

The jihadist group Al Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack, as reported by the Somali media network Shabelle Media Network.

"Tonight a huge explosion affected a public restaurant in Mogadishu and resulted in the death of 25 people," police officer Abshir Nur told the Efe agency from the area of ​​the attack.

At first, police spokesman Sadaq Adan had informed the press that the attack had caused at least 10 deaths and more than 30 injuries.

The authorities have indicated that a rescue operation is underway and the death toll could increase, warned Nur, who explained that "several houses collapsed due to the magnitude of the explosion."

The same restaurant was the target of another suicide attack in August last year, in which at least two people were killed and a third was injured.

The ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Somalia, Spanish Nicolás Berlanga, has lamented the attack and urged unity to make progress on the road to peace.

“Again a deadly attack in Mogadishu with pain and devastation towards innocent people.

We express our sadness and solidarity with the victims and their families ”, he indicated in a Twitter message.

Again a deadly attack in Mogadishu with sorrow and devastation to innocent people.

We express our sadness and solidarity with the victims and their families.

We insist unity among leaders and general interest over individual interest is the only way forward for peace and progress

- Nicolas Berlanga (@NBerlangaEU) March 5, 2021

"We insist that unity between leaders and the general interest over individual interest is the only way forward for peace and progress," emphasized the European diplomat.

Manifestation

The event occurred despite increased security in Mogadishu in anticipation of a demonstration called for tomorrow, Saturday, by an alliance of opposition leaders against the postponement of elections in the country last February.

However, the protest has been postponed.

The Somali capital has previously been the target of attacks by Al Shabab, an Islamist organization affiliated with Al Qaeda since 2012 and which controls the rural areas of central and southern Somalia, a country in which it seeks to establish a Wahhabi-style (ultra-conservative) Islamic State.

Somalia has lived in a state of war and chaos since 1991, when the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown, leaving the country without an effective government and in the hands of Islamist militias and warlords.