Yesterday, July 22nd 2019, a suicide car bomb was detonated outside a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, killing 17, including the suicide bomber, and injuring at least 27.
Of those injured, 17 are said to have suffered critical wounds.
Al Shabaab claimed the attack which was also near a security checkpoint.
Nearby buildings were damaged by the blast.
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) records casualties (i.e. people killed and injured) from explosive violence around the world as reported in English-language news sources.
In 2018, Somalia was one of the countries that saw a significant decrease in civilian harm from explosive violence (with a 48% decrease in civilian casualties from 1,582 to 825). Nevertheless, Somalia was still the sixth worst impacted country from explosive weapons, with 825 civilian casualties from such violence.
Of these civilian casualties, 94% were caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) – 64% were from incidents using suicide attacks.
However, Somalia saw civilian casualties from explosive violence increase by 34% in the first six months of 2019, compared to the same period last year, from 311 in the first half of 2018 to 416 in 2019.
Al Shabaab’s use of explosive violence saw civilian casualties from its terrorism increase by 50% (from 238 to 356).
AOAV calls for states and international organisations to work collaboratively to generate greater awareness of the number of civilians killed and injured each year by IEDs, and encourage a greater stigma from political, religious and social leaders on the use of IEDs. There is an urgent need for preventative measures to be implemented by States and the international community.
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