UN envoy for Somalia slams bomb attacks in Mogadishu and Galkayo

[Deeq A.]

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Haysom, strongly condemned today’s terrorist attacks in the city of Galkayo and the Somali capital that killed a prominent cleric and a number of other civilians.

Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the early morning assault on a compound belonging to the cleric Abdiweli Ali Elmi in the southern portion of Galkayo town. Media accounts reported that the cleric had received threats on his life from the jihadist movement in the past.

A car bomb was reportedly detonated in a busy market in the Wadajir district of Mogadishu in the early afternoon, and a suspect has been arrested by Somali security forces.

“Today’s attacks on civilians in Mogadishu and Galkayo demonstrate the disregard of violent extremists for the sanctity of human life,” said Mr. Haysom. “No legitimate political agenda can be advanced through the indiscriminate killing of innocent men, women and children, and the United Nations stands with the people and government of Somalia in their rejection of terrorism. We extend our condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, and we wish the wounded a full recovery from their injuries.”

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