On Tuesday, 12 people, including two Somali lawmakers, died and more than 43 others were wounded in a bombing attack at an outdoor cafe in Dhusa Mareb, the capital of central Somalia region of Galgaduud. Three other MPs and a former deputy minister were among the wounded.
The incident occurred when a bomber blew himself up at the cafe where lawmakers were meeting with the public to discuss the setup of a regional administration.
The al-Shabab militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In another incident, three people were killed after a bomb concealed in a car went off in the country’s capital, near Mogadishu International Airport.
Somalia has not had a functioning central government since 1991 when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
The weak Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab for the past five years and is propped up by a 12,000-strong African Union force from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.
AMF/MHB/HN