Somalia's president declared three days of mourning Sunday as the death toll from a truck bomb blast in Mogadishu rose to more than 230, the deadliest attack in the history of the besieged East African nation.
"Terror won't win," said President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known popularly as Farmajo, after donating blood and visiting some of the scores wounded in the capital. "I call on our citizens to come out, extend help, donate blood and comfort the bereaved. Let’s get through this together."
The blast destroyed multiple buildings and set several nearby cars and trucks ablaze. Abshir Abdi Ahmed, the deputy speaker of Somalia's upper house of parliament, said the death death toll had reached 231.
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire blamed the attack on the Somali militant group al-Shabab, which has not commented on the explosion. The group has carried out a series of attacks in recent years aimed at establishing a radical Islamist state.
“They don’t care about the lives of Somali people, mothers, fathers and children,” Ali Khaire said. “They have targeted the most populated area in Mogadishu, killing only civilians.”
Somalia's SONNA news agency said the attack apparently involved two bombs, although details remained unclear. The blast took place Saturday afternoon on a crowded street in the Hodan district, busy with shops, businesses and hotels in northwestern Mogadishu.
Residents were stunned by the enormity of the attack. Mogadishu Mayor Tabid Abdi Mohamed urged residents and businesses that owned earth-moving equipment to bring it to the site help the desperate search for survivors — and bodies.
"In our 10-year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven't seen anything like this," the Aamin Ambulance service tweeted Sunday.
Relatives of the dead and wounded rushed to hospitals overwhelmed with victims.
“There’s nothing I can say," Zainab Sharif, a mother of four who lost her husband, said outside the hospital where he was pronounced dead. "We have lost everything."
Photos from the scene. In our 10 year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven't seen anything like this.
Qatar said its embassy in Somalia was severely damaged and that one staffer was slightly injured.
The United States mission in Somalia issued a statement condemning the attack and lauding "the heroic response of the Somali security forces and first responders and Somali citizens who rushed to the aid of their brothers and sisters."
The United Nations expressed outrage at the attack and condolences to families of the victims. MIchael Keating, the U.N. special envoy to Somalia, tweeted Sunday, "Solidarity among Mog citizens is inspiring, including 2 donate blood in wake of yesterday’s horrendous attack that killed so many civilians."
Al-Shabab, which translates to the Youth, emerged from a now-defunct Islamic group that ruled Mogadishu a decade ago until Somali forces liberated the city. Al-Shabab has links to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups and has drawn fighters from neighboring countries.
Al-Shabab has also staged attacks over the border in Kenya, the most deadly being the 2015 massacre at Garissa University. Gunmen stormed the school in a bloodbath that killed 148 and wounded dozens more.
The militant group promotes strict sharia law, which includes amputating the hands of thieves. The group's attacks have added to the difficulties faced by Farmajo, who was elected in February to lead the country of 14 million people that ranks among the poorest nations in the world.
Farmajo, 54, is the first democratically elected president of Somalia in more than two decades. The election was conducted by members of parliament instead of voters due to threats of violence by al-Shabab. Lawmakers held their vote in an aircraft hangar for added security.
Farmajo has close ties to the United States, holding dual Somali-U.S. citizenship and a degree from the State University of New York-Buffalo.
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