×

Our award-winning reporting has moved

Context provides news and analysis on three of the world’s most critical issues:

climate change, the impact of technology on society, and inclusive economies.

Thousands of Somalis gather to mourn bomb victims

by Reuters
Friday, 20 October 2017 13:28 GMT

Protesters gather during a demonstration against Al-Shabaab militant group after last weekend's explosion in KM4 street in the Hodan district at the stadium Koonis in Mogadishu, Somalia October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

Image Caption and Rights Information

"We have much fear and still the shock"

By Abdi Sheikh

MOGADISHU, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Thousands of Somalis prayed in Mogadishu on Friday at a symbolic funeral for more than 300 people killed by the country's deadliest truck bombing.

The truck detonated next to a fuel tanker on Saturday, creating a huge fireball that incinerated multi-story buildings. Around half the dead were burned beyond recognition, said authorities.

The government conducted mass burials soon after the blast, in keeping with the Muslim practice of interring the dead as quickly as possible.

Religious leader Abdi Hayi said mourners had decided to conduct a symbolic funeral six days on, as it had not been possible to give so many of the victims a proper send-off with prayers at a mosque.

"Since we have not seen many bodies we came to conduct the funeral at the spot of the blast," he said.

The bomb attack was the deadliest since Islamist militant group al Shabaab began an insurgency in 2007. Al Shabaab has not claimed responsibility, but the al Qaeda-linked organisation has increasingly used truck bombs.

Somalia has been mired in conflict since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew a dictator then turned on each other. One of the poorest countries in Africa relies on foreign donors to support its institutions and basic services.

The battle-scarred coastal city is on edge after the bombing. A central road in the city emptied quickly after locals suspected a minivan loaded with vegetables was carrying a bomb. As police checked the van, shopkeepers and residents fled the scene.

"I closed my shop and ran away," said shopkeeper Abdullahi Omar. "We have much fear and still the shock ... persisting in our minds."

(Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

-->