Somalia attacks: Anger, helplessness - and a plea to Australia after 'our 9/11'

By Eva de Vries

November 2, 2017 — 3.17pm

Nairobi, Kenya: The truck bomb that exploded in the centre of Mogadishu on October 14 was the bloodiest such attack in Somalia's history. While bodies were still being uncovered from the rubble, an attack on a hotel on October 28 killed dozens more people.

Somalis living abroad are shaken by the dark turn of events back home.

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Hundreds dead in Somalia bomb attack

The death toll from the twin bomb attack in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has risen above 300.

In Nairobi's Somali neighbourhood of Eastleigh, also known as "Little Mogadishu", carts laden with fruits and vegetables are pushed through the streets as the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer. Veiled women wander from shop to shop collecting the day's groceries.

But all is not well here. "Mogadishu is like our big sister," says Iman Burhan, 27, of the youth organisation Eastleighwood. "When our capital gets hit, it impacts us here as well."

"This attack is the Somali 9/11": Iman Burhan, 27, works with a youth organisation for displaced Somalis in the Kenyan capital.Credit:Eva de Vries

People fear for their loved ones back home and business has declined. "It's a lot quieter on the streets these days," Burhans ays.

I meet up with Hanan Ibrahim, 25, in her friend Ramah's bright blue bedroom. With tears in her eyes, she tells me she lost her uncle and cousin in the October 14 attack. "My cousin still hasn't been found," she cries.

On the wall above her head are the Arabic words "God is great" and a poster with major prayer sites around the world. The two friends are both wearing red headscarves to show solidarity with the victims – red for blood.

Collecting money

When word of the attack reached Kenya, Eastleigh residents immediately took action. They gathered in prayer, collected money for the victims and even donated blood. Around the world, the Somali diaspora has mobilised to help their relatives back home.

Hanan Ibrahim and other Somali woman are wearing red headscarves to show solidarity with the victims of the October 14 attack.Credit:Eva de Vries

"This attack rips open the wounds of the civil war in the '90s," says Ahmed Tohow, director of the Australian Somali Business Council and representative of the Global Somali Diaspora organisation in Australia. "We feel hopeless."

Tohow has been living in Melbourne for 17 years, but he previously worked for several humanitarian organisations in Mogadishu. Many Somalis in Australia still have family and friends in Somalia who they keep in touch with daily. Some lost relatives in the attack and others have seen their businesses completely ruined. "Eventually, an attack like this touches all of us," he adds.

The horrific aftermath of the October 14 attack in Mogadishu, which killed hundreds of Somalis.Credit:AP

Truck blast

The October 14 truck bomb exploded in the middle of a busy street in Hodan, a neighbourhood in Mogadishu that has developed quickly over the last few years. It was a Saturday, when the city is bustling with people out shopping, families eating pizza and cars. The explosion destroyed everything within a radius of several hundred metres, leaving at least 358 innocent people dead and more than 500 wounded.

Officially, the attack has not been claimed by anyone, but reports state that the al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist movement al-Shabab is behind it. The truck was said to be on its way to the heavily protected airport, where the United Nations, embassies and the headquarters of AMISOM (the African Union Mission to Somalia) are located. Analysts suggest that the bomb exploded earlier than intended. This would explain why al-Shabab is not claiming responsibility for the attack, as they don't usually target ordinary civilians.

"My cousin still hasn't been found": Hanan Ibrahim, 25, is one of many Somalis living in Kenya affected by the attacks. The Arabic writing on the wall reads "peace be upon you and the mercy of God and His blessings".Credit:Eva de Vries

According to Irene Ndungu, Somalia researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Nairobi, this attack not only reveals al-Shabab's access to major bombmaking materials, but also that they are willing to risk civilian lives to achieve their goals.

"The Somali security institutions and international partners who cooperate with them should be able to prevent these kind of attacks," Hussein Moalim Mohamed Sheikh Ali, a former security adviser to the president, told Reuters. Al-Shabab was ousted from Mogadishu a long time ago, but apparently the truck driver still managed to manoeuvre past several military checkpoints. "These attacks are a sign of a poorly functioning state," Sheikh Ali says.

"Eventually, an attack like this touches all of us": Somali women living in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh, dubbed "Little Mogadishu".Credit:Eva de Vries

More attacks

When Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as "Farmajo", took office at the beginning of this year, he declared a "total war" against al-Shabab. He employed a "ring of steel" strategy to make Mogadishu virtually impenetrable, and at first it seemed to work. However, in recent months, terrorist attacks have increased both in and outside the city.

"Al-Shabab's promised to launch more attacks against Farmajo and his allies, which could explain why the numbers are going up," Ndungu says.

A Somali soldier near the wreckage of vehicles after the October 28 attack in Mogadishu.Credit:AP

At the beginning of the year, the United States sent troops to assist the Somali government in the battle against al-Shabab, and Turkey opened a military base in Mogadishu to train the Somali army. In response, al-Shabab seems to be sending a message that despite the intensified fight against them, they are indestructible.

In recent years, al-Shabab has kept a relatively low profile outside Somalia's borders. Yet in 2010, the militant group launched a deadly attack on hundreds of football fans in Kampala, Uganda, while they were watching the World Cup final. Seventy-six people were killed. Three years later, militants killed 60 people at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi. And in 2015, they opened fire on students in the Kenyan city of Garissa, leaving 148 young people dead. Al-Shabab portrayed these attacks as revenge against countries that had been interfering in the war in Somalia.

"We pray, send money and donate blood, but these things won't help us defeat al-Shabab," Iman Burhani says.Credit:Eva de Vries

Obstacles

"Corruption, poor security services and Somalia's underpaid and poorly trained army are standing in the way of defeating al-Shabab," says Ndungu.

A few days before the attack, both the defence minister and the head of the army resigned. To further complicate the situation, 22,000 AMISOM soldiers are scheduled to withdraw from the country in 2018 - however Ndungu thinks that the recent attacks mean that withdrawal is now very unlikely.

On the other side of the ocean, Tohow is very disappointed in Australia's lack of response. He believes that the Somali government is too weak, and the African Union and United States are doing little to improve the situation.

"They can't do it alone. As a strong and well-functioning state, Australia could contribute to the Somali army and security services - by providing training, for example."

'This is the Somali 9/11'

"This attack is the Somali 9/11, only it attracts a lot less attention," Burhani says. He sips a sweet milky tea in a coffee house on Eastleigh's busiest street. "It's as if the lives of Somalis are worth less than those of the Americans, British or French."

With so many international players tangled up in Somalia's war, he finds it strange that this attack didn't receive more international attention.

Like Tohow, Burhan hopes for more external support. "We want to be there for our brothers and sisters in Somalia. We pray, send money and donate blood, but these things won't help us defeat al-Shabab."

If the movement is not defeated, he fears there will be major consequences. "Not only for Somalia, but for the whole region," he explains.

In the meantime, Ibrahim has given up her dream of returning to her homeland. She fled to Kenya seven years ago, but her family is still in Somalia: "I miss them every day, but it's too dangerous now. I don't want to risk my life."

Source: The Sydney Morning Herld