Three mortar shells have landed inside Halane Camp in Mogadishu, where the long-awaited Presidential Election is underway. The shells fell near the residence of a former politician where several MPs are feared to have been gathering.
Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack and was the first to claim casualties, while the Somali government claimed no one was injured. The militant group was also behind the killing of one of the first female MPs in Somalia, Amina Mohamed Abdi, in March. As well as an armed attack against politicians gathering at a Lido Beach hotel in Mogadishu in April.
After nearly a year of political uncertainty in Somalia, a presidential election is finally underway at a heavily fortified compound in Halane Camp near the Aden Adde Airport. The camp is also the headquarters of the African Union’s mission in the war-torn nation.
However, due to security concerns and lack of political instability, only the Members of Parliament are casting votes, so the 329 MPs will decide amongst the 35 candidates. Whoever wins this election will have to contend with an increasingly brazen Al-Shabaab and a nationwide drought.
