SOMALIA - Attack on Parliament

UNCLAS NAIROBI 000832 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/E AND ACTING A/S CARTER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA - Attack on Parliament REF: A) Nairobi 810 B) Nairobi 805 ¶1. On April 25 a mortar attack against the Somali parliament killed at least eight people and wounded fifteen others. There were no causalities among the lawmakers. The temporary house of the Somali parliament, located at the former police transport headquarters in Mogadishu, was attacked with approximately ten mortars. Four mortars landed inside the compound. One TFG police officer was killed and three others were injured inside the compound. The other deaths and injuries were civilians, including schoolchildren, who were in the surrounding neighborhood. The attack occurred after most of the parliamentarians had already left the compound after the day's legislative session ended. Prime Minister Sharmarke and other TFG cabinet members had attended the session but were not in the compound at the time of the attack. ¶2. Also on April 25, a separate mortar attack took place against Burundian African Union forces based at Siad Barre Military Academy. At least seven civilians were killed after mortars missed their target and landed in the Hodan and Howlwadaag neighborhoods near the AMISOM base. The Burundian forces retaliated and AU representatives told us there were no AMISOM casualties. An AMISOM officer reported that three civilians came to the AMISOM medical center for treatment. Reports indicate that at least 25 people were wounded. ¶3. Some implicated the return of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys (ref a) as linked to the weekend attacks. In an April 24 speech, Aweys vowed to fight against AU forces and refused to talk with the government until AMISOM leaves Somalia. Mogadishu residents and religious, clan and TFG leaders expressed outrage at the perpetrators of violence in the capital, continuing to speak out against the wave of targeted attacks in Mogadishu (ref b). During a press conference following the attacks, the Prime Minister said that it is a tragedy for civilians who are trying to reconstruct their lives to be killed. He called on Somalis to support the government against violent groups. RANNEBERGER