Somalia’s newly elected president survived an assassination attempt where gunmen stormed a hotel in Mogadishu where he was meeting with Kenyan diplomats, underscoring the precarious security situation in the country.
The hotel attack was an assassination attempt on Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the new president, according to reports. There were two blasts and gunfire erupted after the first explosion was heard. At least three people were killed.
“The president is safe. All the people who were inside the hotel are safe,” Colonel Ali Houmed told AFP. He is the spokesman for the African Union force in Somalia.
Hassan was elected just two days ago and is tasked with forming a functional government in Somalia, a country that has been without one since 1991.
“First and foremost we will address the security issue. Priority number one is security and priority number two and priority number three,” said president Hassan, after the attack and before he was taken away by security, according to Al Jazeera.
President Hassan and Sam Ongeri, the Kenyan foreign minister, had been addressing press conference when the attacks occurred.
The militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab told the news agency that it was responsible for the attack on the Mogadishu hotel.
“We are responsible for the attack against the so-called president and the delegation,” Shabaab spokesperson Ali Mohamud Rage was quoted as saying by AFP.
Al-Shabaab has carried out a number of attacks in Mogadishu over the years, and has claimed responsibility for kidnappings and terrorist attacks in Kenya.
“Nothing personal, but the whole process is like an enemy project,” Rage added.
Rage said such attacks would continue “until the liberation of Somalia.”
