Fatalities Rise In Twin Suicide Bombings In Somalia

A woman lawmaker was among 48 people killed in a twin attack on March 23, 2022 in the city of Beledweyne, around 300 kilometers north of Mogadishu.

The attacks began when a suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest, blew himself up at the local government headquarters. Later, another suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden car into a crowd of people who had gathered to help those wounded in the first attack.

Amina Mohamed Abdi, a vocal critic of the government and known for her fiery speeches, was killed in the bombing, as she approached a building housing leaders of Somalia's Hirshabele state. Abdi was in the running for reelection in the next Somali polls and was reportedly in the city to defend her seat.

Militants, Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Parliamentarian Abdirizak Mohamed tweeted: "Somalia has lost a promising giant leader, an activist, a fearless advocate who finally paid the ultimate price for seeking justice for Ikram Tahlil." Ikram Tahlil was an intelligence officer who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in Somalia. Although her body was never found, she was declared dead in September 2021.