Saturday, May 26, 2007
The bomb hit one of four vehicles driving in convoy through northern Mogadishu, a senior municipal official told AFP.
"One of the cars was hit and injured four people. They were security officials at the mayor's office," the official said.
Witness Mohamed Haji Daud said: "A young boy who was passing by was killed and four government soldiers were wounded by the explosion in Haile Barise area."
"All the people in the area disappeared after the bomb exploded to avoid arrest," said Abdullahi Mohamud, another witness.
Ahmed Mohamed Abdullahi, the boy's relative, said: "The city is very dangerous for everybody, including children, who are not part of the violence or politics in Somalia."
In separate incidents, four people, including a young girl, were wounded in overnight attacks across the seaside capital, witnesses said.
Courts blamed for attacks
In the northern Huriwa district, assailants threw hand grenades at the house of a local official overseeing the demolition of illegally constructed houses.
"He (the official) was not at home when the attack took place, but a young girl was wounded," said Hassan Dahir, a neighbour.
Mogadishu mayor Mohamed Omar Habeb blamed remnants of the defeated Council of Islamic Courts movement for the attacks and said that those responsible would be arrested.
"Somalia is heading towards peace and stability. We will hunt criminals who want to terrorise the people of Mogadishu," he told AFP.
Elders and Ethiopians talk
Meanwhile, visiting Ethiopian foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin and other officials held talks with 100 Somali religious and clan elders in the capital.
"The minister always meets with the community to ask them about the evolution of the situation and what they expect of our troops (deployed to Somalia)," Shawl Fisseha, the Ethiopian ambassador to Somalia, told AFP.
Ali Madi, the chairperson of the reconciliation committee, also attended the talks. The interim government is to hold a national reconciliation conference on June 14.
Attacks by fighters of the Council of Islamic Courts have been increasing in Mogadishu since an Ethiopian offensive at the end of April put an end to two bouts of heavy clashes that killed hundreds and forced tens of thousands to flee.
The Horn of Africa nation plunged into lawlessness with the 1991 ousting of then president Mohamed Siad Barre and more than a dozen attempts to restore central authority have since failed.
Source: AFP, May 26, 2007