Suicide Bombing Near Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Somalia Kills Three

Mogadishu, 18 January, 2024 / 9:00 PM

Three people were killed following a suicide bombing that occurred near an abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Mogadishu in Somalia, the former Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu Diocese has confirmed.

According to Bishop Giorgio Bertin, the Tuesday, January 16 bombing incident also left two other people injured.

 “The explosion took place near our cathedral, which has been in a state of abandonment since January 9, 1991,” Bishop Bertin said in a January 16 report by the information service of Propaganda Fide, Agenzia Fides.

According to Agenzia Fides, the Cathedral in Modadishu, consecrated in 1928, was entrusted first to the Consolata missionaries and then to the Friars Minor. It was destroyed during the civil war.

The bombing that occurred in front of the mayor's office in Mogadishu reportedly caused significant damage to the Banaadir regional administration building.

Reuters reported January 16 that al Shabaab group, a militia group affiliated to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the incident that involved a suicide bomber who blew himself up while being pursued by the police.

Though much information is not provided about the bombing, the Agenzia Fides report indicates that the attackers were targeting government employees.

The recent incident has heightened tension in Mogadishu, disrupting the period of peace the city had been experiencing following a decrease in previous car bomb attacks.

“Today's tragic event is a reminder that security problems persist. Authorities fear a new crisis that would add another dark chapter to the history of the region,” Agenzia Fides reports.