Mogadishu Suicide Bombing (December 2016)
The December 2016 Mogadishu suicide bombing was a devastating militant attack that targeted a police station and tax office near the port district of Mogadishu, Somalia. The incident occurred on December 11, resulting in at least twenty-nine deaths and more than fifty injuries, primarily among civilians and port employees. This attack was attributed to the militant group al-Shabaab, which has been active in Somalia since 2006 and is known for its radical Islamist ideology. Al-Shabaab's objectives include undermining the Somali government and disrupting political processes, particularly during election periods.
The bombing followed a series of violent actions by al-Shabaab, including an earlier attack on a market just weeks prior that killed twenty people. The group is recognized for its tactical use of technology and social media to recruit fighters, often targeting military and police establishments, as well as foreign visitors. The December attack was executed by a militant who drove an explosive-laden vehicle into the port area before detonating it, leading to a chaotic scene marked by initial confusion and subsequent gunfire from police responding to the emergency. In the aftermath, al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, indicating their ongoing campaign of violence against what they perceive as foreign and anti-Islamic influences in Somalia.
Mogadishu Suicide Bombing (December 2016)
Date: December 11, 2016
Place: Mogadishu, Somalia
Summary
The December 2016 Mogadishu suicide bombing was a militant attack targeting a police station and tax office near the seaport district of Mogadishu, Somalia, that resulted in at least twenty-nine deaths and more than fifty injuries.
Key Figures
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud: President of Somalia.
Ahmad Omar: Leader of al-Shabaab since 2014.
Key Events
- November 26, 2016—Al-Shabaab militants attack a market in Mogadishu, killing at least twenty with a car bomb.
- December 11, 2016—A suicide bombing targeting a police station near the Port of Mogadishu kills at least twenty-nine and injures more than fifty others.
- January 2, 2017—Al-Shabaab linked to a suicide car bombing at Aden Adde International Airport that kills seven and injures at least seventeen others.
Status
As of January 2017, the Somali government has not announced any arrests in connection with the December 11 attack in Mogadishu but believes that the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab was responsible for the attack. Officials in Somalia expressed the belief that al-Shabaab had recently intensified their attacks in hopes of disrupting the parliamentary elections taking place during the same period. In general, the group aims to reduce support for the government and facilitate conditions that would leave the nation vulnerable to a coup. On January 2, 2017, al-Shabaab was linked to another suicide car bombing in Mogadishu, this time targeting Aden Adde International Airport. Somali media reported that the explosion killed at least seven and injured seventeen others. On January 25, the group struck again, bombing the Dayah Hotel in Mogadishu and killing at least twenty-eight. The Somali government pledged to continue fighting al-Shabaab and to continue working with the United States and allied nations to combat the rise of extremist political groups in Africa.
In-Depth Overview
Al-Shabaab, which translates as "the youth," is a radical paramilitary organization that has been active in Somalia since about 2006. The organization began as the youth wing of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), an organization of Somalian Islamic legal organizations that took control of much of Somalia in the wake of the nation's emergence from a long period of military rule under warlord Mohamed Siad Barre. The ICU was removed from power in late 2006, leading to a civil war that eventually left a transitional government in control of the nation. The youth wing of the ICU radicalized during and after the civil war, attacking government targets that they believe are controlled by foreign and anti-Islamic powers.
Since 2012, al-Shabaab has been one of the most violent radical groups in Somalia and has recruited fighters from around the world who share the group's interest in establishing a conservative Islamic government based on a radicalized version of Islamic law. Essentially, al-Shabaab is an antimodernist movement that developed among poverty-stricken, alienated, and marginalized populations in Africa and the Middle East. Individuals attracted to these radical communities share an interest in restoring traditional hierarchies of power and in resisting the allegedly immoral and culturally degrading effects of modernization and secularization. Among Africa's antimodernist movements, al-Shabaab has proven one of the most technologically savvy, marshalling social media and other digital tools in the effort to recruit young radicals, or individuals with extremist, conservative political views, to their cause.
Since 2012, al-Shabaab had conducted dozens of terrorist attacks in Somali cities, often targeting military and police targets but also attacking civilians. The organization has also demonstrated a tendency to attack foreign visitors to the nation, primarily by attacking regional hotels. In June 2016, for instance, the group was linked to two separate bomb attacks at hotels in Mogadishu, using car bombs and armed militants to attack guards, police, and hotel residents. The Somali capital Mogadishu is therefore a frequent target for al-Shabaab attacks. The United States killed al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane in a 2014 drone attack and leadership has since passed to Ahmad Omar.
Around 7:30 a.m. local time on December 11, 2016, an unknown militant drove a small truck (or minivan) outfitted with explosives to the Port of Mogadishu, crashing the vehicle into a gate and the entrance to the port, then detonating the explosives contained in the vehicle. After the initial explosion, several witnesses reported hearing gunfire and believed that a shootout was taking place. However, Mogadishu police officer Ahmed Ibrahim reported that police used warning shots to clear civilians from the area around the police station. Within the hour, security forces surrounded the port while police investigated the situation.
Police believed the attackers intended to target employees of the tax and customs office within the port, though regional administrator Abdifitah Omar Halane stated that the explosion occurred in a civilian part of the port where shift workers were preparing to begin their daily shift. Most of those killed and injured in the explosion were civilians or port employees. Police believed that twenty-nine people were killed in the attack, with more than fifty others wounded. Initial government reports listed the number of casualties at twelve, with fourteen injured, before additional casualties were discovered in the rubble of damaged buildings and some of the wounded died in hospital. Shortly after the attack, an al-Shabaab spokesman issued a statement over the organization's Radio Andalus station claiming responsibility for the attack and claiming to have killed thirty police officers.
Bibliography
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Blau, M. (2016, December 11). Somalia: Car bomb leaves at least 20 dead. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/11/africa/somalia-car-bomb/
Maruf, H., & Osman, A. (2016, December 11). 20 killed in blast near Mogadishu port. VOA News. Retrieved from http://www.voanews.com/a/deadly-blast-near-mogadishu-port/3631615.html
Mogadishu bombing: Deadly blast at port of Somali capital. (2016, December 11). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/11/mogadishu-bombing-deadly-blast-at-port-of-somali-capital
Sheikh, A., & Omar, A. (2016, December 11). Suicide bomb kills at least 29 at Somalia's main port: Police. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-blast-idUSKBN14004Y
Somalia attack: Twin car bombs explode by Mogadishu airport. (2016, July 26). BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36892048
Suicide bomb kills at least 29 at Somalia's main port. (2016, December 11). The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/11/car-bomb-explodes-outside-mogadishu/