Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
by Gianluca Frinchillucci
Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) - Mogadishu and the whole of Somalia were shaken by a tragic act of terrorism last Friday, August 2, when members of the Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabaab attacked a beachfront hotel, leaving 40 dead and 140 injured. The population is traumatized by the massacre of innocents walking by the sea in one of the safest areas of the city.
According to a local source, on Sunday 4 August hundreds of people took to the streets to demand an end to the terrorist actions. The Somali state is responding with arrests and investigations to verify possible complicity in the terrible attack.
"To reach the hotel with an explosive belt and weapons, the Al-Shabaab terrorists passed through several checkpoints. The suicide bomber blew himself up near the Sea View Hotel. Somali security authorities are now screening all possible elements to target the networks that allowed the terrorists to enter a 'safe' zone," continued the source, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.
Lido Beach in Mogadishu is a place where many people from the city spend their free time, and the hotel in question also hosts international meetings. A very livable place in the city, or so it was seen. "There have been three terrorist attacks in the area in the last four years, but the attack on Friday 2 August was the worst, both in terms of the number of dead and injured and in terms of planning. Apparently the Al-Shabaab militia wanted to send a clear signal that it can strike anywhere, even in the best-protected areas, and that terror can still dominate or otherwise threaten normal life and prosperity in the tormented country in the Horn of Africa," the source continued.
"Al-Shabaab is recruiting very young Somalis, who are also attracted by the salary, which is about ten times higher than that of an ordinary worker, and by distributing and parallel trading in synthetic drugs, the organization becomes a kind of drug terrorism. The methods are often similar to those of mafia organizations: Al-Shabaab takes bribes or part of the harvest in agricultural areas, controls the water and demands protection money from numerous traders," the source explains.
"They behave like mafiosi, for them life has no value. Often they have no strategic plan for their actions, but rather they are signals to show that they are in charge, that they can bribe people with money at many levels and that if you do not accept their rules you pay with your life, even innocent people are affected," stresses the source.
"I know the hotel well," he adds, "we often go there: for us it is a recreational and security area, and this attack makes life in the city even more unsafe. After the coronavirus pandemic, many humanitarian organizations have left the area, and many children and young people no longer go to school. Poverty, little support and the increasing spread of drugs among young people make it easier for terrorists to recruit. Such serious actions are aimed above all at the population, because they continue to keep terror high against terrorists. The hotel is just a few minutes from the center, where people spend their weekends: there is a beach for women, a "normal" life, as normal and safe as the city can be.
One terrorist blew himself up, the others came with assault rifles and killed everyone they found."
"The response of the security forces prevented an even worse massacre. Many people live in a difficult economic situation that has worsened over the years. The international community has been unable to stimulate the economy due to the instability on the ground. Al-Shabaab is a real mafia and drug-terrorist organization that takes advantage of the poverty and the precarious situation by flooding the area with synthetic drugs that are attracting more and more young people," concludes the source.
Another authoritative source, however, speaks of the violent reaction of the population and the state to this umpteenth serious attack: the faces of the massacred young people are circulating on Somalia's social networks and the gruesome horror images of the massacre on the beach are causing the population to protest.
Mogadishu has grown a lot in recent years. After years of crisis and war, there is also an economic recovery and the hope of our source on the spot is that from the innocent blood of the many young victims a great response against the terrorists of al-Shabaab can be born, leading Somalia more and more towards a path of peace and development. (Agenzia Fides, 6/8/2024)
