At least three people were Saturday evening injured in an explosion at a food joint in Mandera Town.
Police said the
blast was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device that was set off as the
revellers were busy.
More than a
dozen people escaped unhurt, police said.
The motive of the incident was not immediately established. Non-locals frequent the joint, officials said.
The area has been experiencing a lull from such attacks due to sustained operations targeting terror cells.
Police said they are investigating the incident and that
the injured were admitted to a local hospital in a stable condition.
Mandera East Member of Parliament Hussein Weytan condemned the attack.
“This tragic incident has affected our community deeply, and my heartfelt sympathies go out to all those impacted. At this difficult time, my thoughts and prayers are with the injured, who are receiving care at the Mandera County Teaching and Referral Hospital. I wish them a full and speedy recovery, and I commend the medical team for their tireless efforts," he said.
“I also call on
the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of
this explosion to ensure the safety and security of all our citizens."
Police have intensified operations in the area to address such incidents.
The Mandera incident came as a massive blast, followed by gunfire was heard in central Mogadishu on Saturday, near a detention facility where Somalia's intelligence service often holds Islamist Al-Shabaab militants.
The Somali government said seven al-Shabaab terrorists behind the attack on Godka Jilaow investigations complex were neutralised.
The government further reported new airstrikes in the past 24 hours - conducted against al Shabaab in Jilib, Mubarak, Ugunji and Kunyo Barrow, where al Shabaab members were killed.
A wave of renewed attacks by the Al-Qaeda affiliated jihadist movement has hit Somalia.
The group has seized control of dozens of towns and villages since launching an offensive at the beginning of the year, undoing nearly all the progress made by the Somali government during its military campaign in 2022 and 2023.
Godka Jilicow is near the presidential palace.
Some 10,000 soldiers from an African Union military force are stationed in Somalia, which has not stopped the increase in attacks, including a March 18 bomb that narrowly missed the presidential convoy or a series of attacks in April on Mogadishu's airport.
Despite the tense situation, Somali President
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is pushing for the country to hold its first direct
elections next year.
