On Sunday, November 27, Al-Shabaab gunmen stormed a hotel next to Villa Somalia in Mogadishu, the official residence of the Somali president. Several government ministries and both houses of Parliament are close by.
This is, in theory, one of the best secured neighborhoods in the entire city. The perimeter of the Villa Rays Hotel was breached by five armed men after a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle loaded with explosives.
They held the hotel for 20 hours, fighting with state security until Monday morning. Eight civilians died in the fighting. At least four cabinet ministers were trapped in the siege, along with at least 60 other people.
Parliament did not meet on Monday as scheduled due to gunshots still being heard inside the hotel. The siege ended when the security forces killed the five gunmen. For the government, headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the investigation is just beginning.
Al-Shabaab was officially expelled from Mogadishu in 2011 by African Union peacekeepers. The militant group still controls parts of the Somali countryside and regularly carries out deadly attacks on the capital.
However, as The continent As reported in October, the group is currently fighting a “wave of rebellion” by ethnic militias in central Somalia, which are supported by the Somali National Army.
Since September, al-Shabaab has lost dozens of towns it once controlled. He seemed to be defensive. But the daring attack on the Villa Ray Hotel has shaken Somalia’s elite into questioning this narrative.
Adam Hirsi, one of the ministers rescued from the hotel, said on Twitter that the attack was “by no means a demonstration by emboldened terrorists” but a “desperate move” that “shows that terror kingpins running for their lives are launching his last kicks.” He promised, “we will not give up the war.”
President Mohamud, who took office in May, has also promised “total war” against Al-Shabaab. But an irate Dahir Amiin Jesoow, a parliamentarian who chairs the security committee, said The continent that the attack reveals holes in Somalia’s security apparatus.
“This is not acceptable for militants to attack a place so close to the presidency. Our security services must launch an immediate investigation and take action against the culprits who facilitated the Al-Shabaab attack.”
The perception that Al-Shabaab’s attacks are facilitated from within state security agencies is widespread. Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, head of the Wadajir political party, said rampant corruption within the police force has helped Al-Shabaab carry out complex attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of the country.
“People who are well known for squandering the security sector are still in charge. Others are very corrupt and have accumulated wealth from corruption,” Abdishakur said.
This article first appeared on The continentthe pan-African weekly produced in collaboration with the mail and guardian. It is designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp. download your free copy here.
