Explosion occurred in a college graduation ceremony in Mogadishu, Somalia on Thursday which left 4 Somali government ministers and several civilians dead.
According to Mohamed Ali Nur, the Somali ambassador to Kenya the attack is believed to be by a suicide bombed, the ambassador went on to say the ministers of health, education, higher education and sports had been confirmed killed in the bombing. First reports suggests that there were 19 students killed in the blast and many more injured.
The bombing is yet another blow to the government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who came to power earlier this year. Mr. Ahmed has concentrated on bringing dissenting voices into the government, including one militia, Hizbul al-Islam, that has vowed to overthrow the government. But the big-tent approach also may have weakened the government. Somali government and African Union officials have expressed concerns about infiltration of the government and government forces by Shabaab and other militant groups.
The graduation ceremony, for students of Benadir University, was held in a hotel just outside the area of Mogadishu protected by the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as Amisom. Somali government troops are poorly trained and ill-equipped to combat the militias that have sworn to overthrow the government, which relies on Amisom for protection. But the African Union mission, which is also underfunded, still holds only a section of the city.
Mr. Nur said that so far nobody had claimed responsibility for the attack. But the main suspect is Al Shabaab, a US-designated terrorist group with links to Al Qaeda. Shabaab has vowed to overthrow Mr. Ahmed’s government and claimed responsibility for previous bombings in Mogadishu.
