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Attempted assassination of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

Coordinates: 2°1′53″N 45°20′3″E / 2.03139°N 45.33417°E / 2.03139; 45.33417
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Attempted assassination of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Part of the Somali Civil War
Hassan in 2023
Date18 March 2025; 7 days ago (2025-03-18)
Timec. 10:32 a.m. (EAT)
LocationHamar Jajab District, near Villa Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia[1]
Coordinates2°1′53″N 45°20′3″E / 2.03139°N 45.33417°E / 2.03139; 45.33417
TypeAssassination attempt
TargetHassan Sheikh Mohamud
Perpetrator Al-Shabaab[2]
OutcomeFailure to assassinate Hassan Sheikh
Deaths10
Non-fatal injuries20

On 18 March 2025, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, president of Somalia, was targeted by al-Shabaab in a roadside bombing assassination attempt using improvised explosive devices near Villa Somalia while his entourage headed to Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu. Hassan survived the attack.[3][4][5]

Background

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Main article: Timeline of al-Shabaab-related events

Al-Shabaab, a fundamentalist militant group and ally of al-Qaeda, has waged an insurgency for more than a decade and continues to control parts of southern and central Somalia. The group tried to assassinate Hassan in 2012,[6] 2013,[7] and 2014.[8]

Major offensives in southern Somalia

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Main article: 2025 Shabelle offensive

On 20 February 2025, al-Shabaab started a new offensive in Hirshabelle State called "Operation Ramadan"[9] against the Somali National Army, African Union Mission in Somalia forces, and allied Ma'awisley clan militias (Somali: Macawiisleey).[10][9] The militant group's objective was to regain territory lost in the 2022 ground offensive led by the Federal Government and African Union, particularly strategic towns and supply routes, and to take control of Somalia's capital Mogadishu.[9][11]

Within the first day of the offensive, al-Shabaab took over more than 15 towns and villages in the regions of Middle Shabelle, Hiran, and Lower Shabelle. The state capital Jowhar was later surrounded by al-Shabaab fighters, and Hirshabelle president Ali Abdullahi Hussein fled the city. Opposition media compared the event to Afghan president Ashraf Ghani's escape from Kabul when it fell to the Taliban.[9]

On 7 March 2025, the American Embassy in Mogadishu issued an alert cautioning of potential military operations by al-Shabaab, prompting several nations to cancel flights to Aden Adde International Airport.[12][13][14] In a speech on 8 March 2025, Mohamud stated that America was disseminating "fake alerts", and such warnings were intended to destabilize his administration. Mohamud argued that these alerts undermined Somalia's sovereignty and urged the nation to focus on self-reliance rather than depending on foreign support.[15]

Beledweyne hotel attack and siege

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Main article: 2025 Beledweyne hotel attack

On 11 March 2025, six al-Shabaab attackers stormed the Cairo Hotel in Beledweyne, detonating a suicide car bomb and launching a 24-hour siege.[16] The hotel was hosting clan elders and military officials coordinating Shabelle offensives. More than 21 people were killed, including all six attackers and two traditional elders, while dozens were injured.[16]

Attack

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The bomb struck a vehicle as it passed a checkpoint near the president's at el-Gaabta intersection, a heavily fortified part of the security perimeter surrounding the presidential complex Villa Somalia in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. President Mohamud's entourage was traveling to Aden Adde International Airport to join troops on the front lines in Hirshabelle.[17] The bomb was planted on the roadside beneath a two-story building, causing severe damage, including to a neighboring security convoy's bulletproof vehicle.[18][19]

Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the attack.[2]

Victims

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The blast killed at least 10 people, seven security personnel and three civilians, and injured 20 others.[2] Among the victims was 31-year-old Somali Radio Risaala journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe, who became the first journalist killed in Somalia in 2025.[20] Other eyewitnesses only reported two or three deaths.[16]

Aftermath

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Later, the state media SNTV published photos of him in the Adan Yabal district of Middle Shabelle region, where SNA and local forces are combating the ongoing al-Shabaab offensive.[3][21]

Twenty-two journalists reporting the attack from the prominent radio station Risaala Media, which was briefly shutdown by the government, were detained by police.[19]

On 19 March 2025, al-Shabaab launched multiple mortar attacks targeting Aden Adde International Airport and the Halane compound where several foreign entities, including the United Nations headquarters were located.[22] In response to the attacks, the Somali National Army and the National Intelligence and Security Agency killed more than 6 al-Shabaab leaders during an assault operation in Lower Shabelle.[23]

Reactions

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Presidential adviser Zakariye Hussein wrote in a post on X that Hassan was "good and well on his way to the front lines."[3] The Ministry of Information of Somalia released a statement calling the attack a "cowardly act of desperation".[21]

Former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed,[24] former prime minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, MP Abdullahi Hashi Abib and Puntland minister of interior Abdi Farah Said Juha condemned the attack.[25]

The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) condemned the attempted killing, calling it a "cowardly attack" and extending condolences to Dabaashe's family and the broader media community.[20]

Several different countries and organizations offered condolences and condemnation of the attack, including Algeria,[26] Egypt,[27] Jordan,[1] Kuwait,[1] Mauritania,[28] Palestine,[1] Qatar[1] Saudi Arabia,[29] Ukraine,[25] the United Arab Emirates,[1] the United Kingdom,[25] and the United States.[30]

Newly-elected Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Djiboutian foreign minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf condemned the attack[31] as did the Arab League,[1] OIC secretary-general Hissein Brahim Taha[1] and UN secretary-general António Guterres.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Iyad, Nabolsi; Abu Shamala, Rania (20 March 2025). "Arab countries condemn assassination attempt on Somali president". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Qoobey, Jibril (18 March 2025). "Mogadishu: Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Survived Assassination Attempted by Al-Shabaab". Idil News. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Sheikh, Abdi; Omar, Feisal; Holland, Hereward (18 March 2025). Kannampilly, Ammu; Bavier, Joe (eds.). "Somali militants target presidential convoy in bomb attack, president safe". Reuters. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  4. ^ Dalmar (18 March 2025). "President Hassan Sheikh Survives Assassination After Downplaying Al-Shabab Threat". Somali News in English | The Somali Digest. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  5. ^ Jimoh, Abdullahi (18 March 2025). "Al-Shabaab Claim Bombing on Somali Presidential Convoy Route". News Central. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  6. ^ "Al-Shabab claims attack". Al Jazeera. 13 September 2012. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Somali President Unhurt in Bomb Attack". Voice of America. 3 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  8. ^ "Somali president undeterred by mortar". DW. Reuters. 11 October 2014. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d Dr. Xiddig (7 March 2025). "Al-Shabaab Militants Overrun South Somalia, Eye Mogadishu in 'Ramadan' Offensive". Idil News. Archived from the original on 7 March 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  10. ^ Omar, Feisal; Sheikh, Abdi; Holland, Hereward (20 February 2025). MacSwan, Angus (ed.). "Somalia says its army, allied militias repel al Shabaab attacks, kill more than 130". Reuters.
  11. ^ Faruk, Omar (11 March 2025). "At least 6 killed in a militant attack on a hotel in Somalia". AP News. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  12. ^ Khalif, Abdulkadir (5 March 2025). "US warns of imminent Shabaab attack in Mogadishu". The EastAfrican. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  13. ^ "US Embassy in Somalia warns of imminent terror threats – Africa – World". Ahram Online. 5 March 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  14. ^ Molyneaux, Ian (6 March 2025). Yates-Badley, Emma (ed.). "Major airlines cancel Mogadishu flights after US warning". www.aerotime.aero. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  15. ^ Jama (7 March 2025). "Somali President Dismisses U.S. Security Warning as 'Foreign Propaganda'". Somali News in English | The Somali Digest. Archived from the original on 7 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  16. ^ a b c d Faruk, Omar (12 March 2025). "Somali forces end a 24-hour siege by al-Shabab militants on a hotel, leaving all fighters dead". Associated Press. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  17. ^ Dhaysane, Mohamed (18 March 2025). "Somali president survives al-Shabaab assassination attempt, officials say". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  18. ^ "Somalia's president narrowly escapes assassination attempt, travels to frontlines". Somali Guardian. 18 March 2025. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  19. ^ a b Yusuf, Ali (18 March 2025). "Somalia's President Narrowly Escapes Al-Shabaab Bomb Attack; Media Station Briefly Shutdown, Dozen Journalists Arrested". Horn Observer. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Somali journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe killed in Al-Shabaab bomb attack in Mogadishu". Somali Journalists Syndicate. 18 March 2025. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  21. ^ a b Faruk, Omar (18 March 2025). "A roadside bomb in Mogadishu targeted the president's convoy, Somalian government says". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  22. ^ "Al-Shabaab strikes Halane Base Camp which houses Western Embassies". Garowe Online. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  23. ^ Adinda, Charles (20 March 2025). "Somali National Army eliminates Al-Shabaab leaders in Shabelle region". The Eastleigh Voice. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  24. ^ Muuse, Guuleed (19 March 2025). "Muxuu FARMAAJO ka yiri qaraxii shalay Muqdisho lagula beegsaday kolanyada Xasan?". Caasimada Online (in Somali). Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  25. ^ a b c Dr. Xiddig (19 March 2025). "Al-Shabaab IED Bombing Targets Somali President's Convoy, Kills more than 10 Including Journalist". Idil News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  26. ^ داودي, أمينة (19 March 2025). "الجزائر تُدين الهجوم الإرهابي الذي استهدف موكب الرئيس الصومالي". النهار أونلاين (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  27. ^ "Egypt condemns terrorist attack on Somali President convoy". Al-Ahram. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  28. ^ "Mauritania condemns Assassination Attempt on the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia". الوكالة الموريتانية للأنباء. 20 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Saudi Arabia condemns attempted assassination of Somali president". Arab News. 19 March 2025. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Dowladda Mareykanka oo cambaareysay weerarkii lagu qaaday gawaaridii galbineysay Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya". Hiiraan Online (in Somali). Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  31. ^ "AU Condemns Assassination Attempt on Somalia President". Garowe Online. 30 June 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
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