“What had happened here was mass killing and it is a national disaster and someone needs to be accountable for it. I advise all Somali youth to be alert to what is going on in Mogadishu. We must defend our country from such enemies,” said Khadijo Mohamed Ali.

At least 37 civilians were killed and 212 were injured in an explosion at a popular beach restaurant Lido beach on Friday.

It was the deadliest attack in the Horn of Africa country since twin car bombs detonated near a busy market intersection in October 2022, killing at least 100 people and wounding 300 others.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, which has claimed similar attacks in the past, including the car bomb attack in 2022.

--Reuters--