News: UN compound bombed in Somalia

Five suicide car bombs rocked a presidential palace, government security post, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office and an Ethiopian consular unit in two regions of northern Somalia today.

Several buildings were leveled by the attacks, which happened within a span of half an hour.

At least two people were killed and six seriously wounded in the attack of the United Nations office in Hargeisa, long considered as the safest city in Somalia. (Full)

The UNDP compound was hit by an explosion caused by a vehicle that had forced its way into the compound at approximately 10 a.m. local time.

“At present, we can confirm that two national UN staff have been killed, while two others were critically injured and medically evacuated to Djibouti,” UN spokesperson Marie Okabe said. Full)

The attack came five years after the attack of the UN compound in Baghdad and ten months after the bombing of the UN offices in Algiers.

Investigations after both bombings showed significant short comings in the UN security apparatus. Follow-up actions included loads of finger pointing and scape goating but failed to deliver any noticeable differences for humanitarian workers, UN or not UN.

Status Oct 5th, 31 aid workers have been killed in Afghanistan, 32 killed in Somalia and 11 in Darfur. (Full). Since then 2 more aid workers were killed in Somalia, and one was shot dead in Afghanistan.

2008 is heading to set a sad record.

More posts on The Road about being an aidworker, Somalia and terrorism


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