At least 32 people were killed and many others wounded in a suicide bombing and gun attack at Lido Beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, according to officials. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group, claimed responsibility for the assault.
The attack began when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive at the entrance of the Beach View Hotel. Armed assailants then attempted to storm the hotel and opened fire on beachgoers.
“More than 32 civilians died in this attack, and around 63 were wounded, some critically,” reported police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan, raising the initial death toll from seven.
Security forces killed all attackers on-site and captured another who was in a vehicle loaded with explosives. One soldier was killed and another injured.
Witnesses described chaos following the explosion.
Mohamud Moalim saw an attacker with an explosive vest moments before the blast and reported that some of his friends were killed or wounded.
Abdilatif Ali noted the panic among people, with many trying to take cover or escape, stating, “I saw many people strewn on the ground, some dead and others wounded.”
Somalia’s federal government condemned the attack, with former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire expressing condolences on X. He remarked on the attack’s timing, as Lido Beach is busy on Friday nights.
Al-Shabaab has been fighting to topple Somalia’s fragile central government for over 17 years, conducting frequent bombings in Mogadishu and throughout the country.
The government relies on foreign troops for support and has allied with local armed groups, backed by an African Union force and U.S. airstrikes. However, setbacks have occurred, with al-Shabaab asserting control over various regions earlier this year.
In June, Somalia requested a slowdown in the withdrawal of the African peacekeeping mission, known as ATMIS, scheduled to conclude by December 31.
Matt Bryden, a strategic adviser at the Sahan Research think tank, described the attack as the largest in months and a significant security failure, highlighting the government’s struggles against al-Shabaab before the AU peacekeepers’ departure.
Bryden also noted that al-Shabaab demonstrated its capacity to escalate attacks in the capital unless the government engages in negotiations. He emphasized the delicate balance the group must maintain to avoid appearing as an indiscriminate terrorist organization while seeking political power in Mogadishu, stating, “But it has just done that.”
