SOMALIA - CONTINUED EXPRESSIONS OF OUTRAGE OVER DECEMBER 3

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 002505 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/E, AF/RSA AND A/S CARSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV SO PTER SUBJECT: SOMALIA - CONTINUED EXPRESSIONS OF OUTRAGE OVER DECEMBER 3 BOMBING REF: NAIROBI 2444 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The December 3 suicide bombing that killed government ministers, medical students, and teachers sparked protests across Somalia's regions and around the globe. Somalis and their diaspora brethren have publicly condemned the attack at conferences, in marches, and on live national and international media. While al-Shabaab has denied involvement, it is generally believed to have been behind the attack, and it has borne the brunt of the public criticism. At least one Shabaab commander publicly regretted the death of students, possibly reflecting the sentiment of Shabaab's rank and file. Whether the TFG can capitalize on the public's outrage remains to be seen. End Summary. cid:image006.png@01CA7F45.581C96A0 Figure 1: A TFG Minister, a victim of the December 3 bombing, is laid to rest in Mogadishu. Somalis React Angrily -------------- ¶2. (U) On December 3, a suicide bomber detonated himself in a medical school graduation ceremony in Mogadishu. The blast killed 22 people, including three TFG ministers, students, teachers and journalists (reftel). Scores were wounded. The world has reacted to the blast with outrage. Islamist group al-Shabaab is widely credited with the attack. ¶3. (U) Our contacts say al-Shabaab may have underestimated the bombing's carnage and the public's indignation at the murders of particularly apolitical students and doctors. A Shabaab spokesman has subsequently denied responsibility for the attack, though observers say it clearly bears their hallmarks. At least one self-proclaimed senior Shabaab commander, Sheikh Abdifatah, likely sensing the public backlash, qualified the attack in the media, saying "We did not target the students - our target was the TFG." ¶4. (U) Just hours after the blast, the Somali government and international community reacted with outrage. Ordinary Somalis at home and abroad,stunned and in mourning, began venting their anger several days later. On December 7 and 8, Mogadishu residents and those in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps outside Mogadishu staged street protests against al- Shabaab, burning the Islamic group's black flags and decrying the attack. According to Salat Ali Jelle, a TFG MP, the protests in the IDP camps, which are al-Shabaab strongholds, were a particularly bold public show of defiance. cid:image008.png@01CA7F45.581C96A0 Figure 2: Somalis burn al-Shabaab's black flags to protest the December 3 suicide bombing. ¶5. (U) Abdi Mahad, a civil society activist who organized the Mogadishu demonstration on December 7 was quoted in media vowing to organize more demonstrations against al-Shabaab. Mahad termed the December 3 attack a "wake up call for all." He said al-Shabaab's oft-repeated claim to be fighting foreigners is bankrupt. "They are killing our best and brightest. They are the enemy, " he said. cid:image009.png@01CA7F45.581C96A0 NAIROBI 00002505 002 OF 003 Figure 3: Mogadishu residents march in protest over the December 3 suicide attack. ¶6. (U) Citizens of Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa-controled towns in the Galgaduud region also protested. On December 4, hundreds of demonstrators marched in Dhusamareb and Guriel to protest Shabaab's violence and express solidarity with those affected by the blast. Diaspora and Civil Society Expresses Shock -------------- ¶7. (U) Somalis in the Diaspora also expressed shock over the suicide attack. In Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Denmark, Switzerland and Kenya, Somalis expressed sympathy for the victims and condemned al-Shabaab, according to media reports. Somali students in Minneapolis organized a well attended demonstration. Hundreds braved the freezing cold to march and hear speakers, including Somali clerics, condemn the attack offer prayers for the victims. ¶8. (U) On December 13 Somalis in Washington, D.C. also protested the bombing. They noted the attack claimed the lives of current and future doctors, further devastating Mogadishu's already overburdened medical community. Silver Spring, Maryland mosque Imam Mohamed Abdulle declared the December 3 incident a national disaster. He said suicide killings have no basis in Somali or Islamic culture. Successive speakers eulogized TFG Minister of Higher Education Ibrahim Adow, a U.S. citizen and former professor at Washington's American University, who was killed in the blast. ¶9. (U) Participants of a Somali civil society conference held in Mombasa, Kenya on December 10 bemoaned the tragic loss of lives in the suicide attack. They released a communiquC) at the end of the conference that read in part "...the participants condemn the December 3 tragic incident in which high-profile Somalis, including government ministers, university professors, journalists, graduating students and their parents were massacred." Conference participants termed such attacks as alien to Somali culture and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Condemnation in the Media -------------- ¶10. (U) Callers into Somali-language radio programs expressed outrage at the attacks. One international radio program hosted Prime MinisterOmar Sharmarke, Kenyan Deputy Speaker of Parliament Farah Maalim and Prof. Abdi Ismail Samatar of the University of Minnesota. PM Sharmarke describedthe deaths of the ministers, doctors, and students as a loss to the entire Somali nation. Maalim described the suicide incident as an "unprecedented act of horror." Professor Samatar described the attack as shocking and unexpected, and praised the courage of Mogadishu's students who routinely brave violence to further their education. He challenged the TFG to draw up a comprehensive security plan to address violence in the country. ¶11. (U) Other callers to the radio program included Somali medical doctors and Somali student leaders. Mohamed Abdirahman, a NAIROBI 00002505 003 OF 003 doctor at Mogadishu's Madina Hospital, expressed sadness at the loss of the three ministers, whom he knew and respected. He lamented that their dedication and selfless service to the community was rewarded with a suicide attack. Elders from the Hawiye, Biyamal and Rahanweyne clans also called to publicly condemned the bombing. Comment -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Comment: Somalis at home and abroad have reacted with shock and fury to the December 3 suicide attack. Despite belated denials, it is generally accepted that al-Shabaab conducted this particularly gruesome bombing. Given the aforementioned Shabaab commander's misgivings about the murdered students, Shabaab's rank and file may also be questioning the attack. Certainly the bombing has further damaged Shabaab's already battered public image among the Somalis, though it is unclear how this will manifest itself and whether the TFG has the strength and strategic capability to capitalize on it. End Comment. RANNEBERGER