May 2010 Mogadishu bombings

May 2010 Mogadishu bombings
Bakaara Market, the site of the bombings, taken sometime before 2008
Location	Mogadishu, Somalia
Date	1 May 2010 1 pm (UTC+3)
Target	Abdala Shideye Mosque
Attack type	Bombings
Death(s)	39[1]
Injured	70
Perpetrator(s)	Unknown

The May 2010 Mogadishu bombings were an attack at a mosque near the Bakara market in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on 1 May 2010. The bombs killed at least 39^[1] people and injured around 70 others.^[2]

Background

Somalia, which has not had a functional central government since the 1991 deposing of President Siad Barre, is controlled by several different factions.^[3] The area of the capital where the bombings occurred, including the mosque and the Bakara Market, which is under the control of al-Shabaab, a militant organisation that is engaged in a struggle against the United Nations-backed Transitional Federal Government.^[4][5]

Bombings

The bombings occurred around 1 pm local time (10 am UTC).^[4] The bombs were placed at opposite ends of the ground floor of the Abdala Shideye Mosque as people were awaiting the Dhuhr midday prayers.^[6] It is believed that Fuad Mohamed Qalaf, an upper-level official within al-Shabaab, was the intended target of the attacks.^[7] Qalaf was reported to have suffered only minor injuries to his hands.^[8]

The attack was the deadliest in Mogadishu since the Hotel Shambo bombing in December 2009.^[9] Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle said it was the first such attack in a mosque in Somalia.^[10]

Reaction

Ambassador Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra, representing the African Union, said "Indiscriminate attacks on public places like today's incident cannot be condoned. I, on behalf of the African Union, would like to call upon all warring parties in the Somali Conflict to stop such barbaric attacks on innocent civilian population."^[4]

While al-Shabaab has accused private Western security firms, no group has claimed any kind of responsibility for the bombings.^[10]

See also

• 2010 timeline of the War in Somalia
• 2011 Mogadishu bombing
• List of terrorist incidents, 2010
• Somali Civil War
• War in Somalia (2009–)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Scores dead after blasts rip through Somalian mosque". The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ontario: CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc). 1 May 2010. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/scores-dead-after-blasts-rip-through-somalian-mosque/article1553599/. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
2. ^ "Somali blasts kill at least 30 at 'militants mosque'". BBC News. 1 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8655912.stm. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
3. ^ "Dozens dead in Somali mosque blasts". Al-Jazeera. 1 May 2010. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/05/20105113351591462.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Unattributed (1 May 2010). "Somalia mosque explosions kill at least 35". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/05/01/somalia.attack/. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
5. ^ Smith, Stephen; Robert McClelland (21 August 2009). "Listing of Al-Shabaab as a Terrorist Organisation". Australian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Government of Australia. http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2009/fa-s090821.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
6. ^ Hamsa, Omar (1 May 2010). "Somali Mosque Explosions Kill at Least 28 People in Mogadishu". Bloomberg.com (Bloomberg L.P.). http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=aD8C_vv4frRI. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
7. ^ Henry, Robin (1 May 2010). "Thirty dead in Somalia mosque bombings". The Times (London, UK: News Corporation). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7113832.ece. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
8. ^ Guled, Abdi; Mohamed Ahmed (1 May 2010). "Blasts at Somali mosque kill 32-al Shabaab". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/01/AR2010050101549.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ Abdinur, Mustafa Haji (1 May 2010). "Twenty-five killed in Mogadishu blasts: officials". AFP. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5il2DUSIJHPPx8f1pAmjF26DJ13Iw. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Raghavan, Sudarsan (1 May 2010). "Two bombs kill at least 30 at mosque in Somali capital". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/01/AR2010050102042.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010.