Somalia Marks 7th Anniversary of Deadliest Terror Attack in Mogadishu

Today marks the 7th anniversary of the deadliest explosion in Somalia’s history at the Sobe intersection in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The explosion in October 14, 2017 happened when a truck bomb exploded at a busy intersection in Mogadishu, killing 656 people and injured 340 others, destroyed the properties of 364 people. The explosion left around 1547 Somali children orphaned .

The Soobe explosion has also left a mark on the minds of millions of Somali citizens leaving horrors and pain as their hearts bleeds when ever they recall the explosion.

The federal government of Somalia has declared October 14 as a national day to remember the victims of the “terrorist attacks” that took place in the capital on that date.

The government of Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre blamed the events on Al-Shabaab although Al-Shabaab has not yet officially claimed responsibility for the act.

The damage caused by the October 14 explosion directly affected about 2% of Mogadishu’s population, which is equivalent to 25,000 people in the capital city who were directly affected by the explosion.

The explosion was ranked among the deadliest ever terrorist bombing in Africa involving the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). No one claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, but the government blamed it on the militant group Alshabab fighters.

The magnitude of the damage caused by the explosion is believed by many people to have created unity, patriotism and a social uprising for Somalis that will lead to change like the successful uprisings, which is remembered as the Nabillion Uprising which was led by the youth, but that instead, the Sobe bombing caused depression that led many young people to decide to migrate from the country.

What kind of lasting impact did the Sobe explosion have on you?