SEPARATE BOMBINGS KILL TWO CIVILIANS IN NORTHERN SOMALIA

Mogadishu, 12 Rabi’ul Awwal 1435/3 January 2015 (MINA) – At least two civilians have been killed in two separate bomb attacks in northern Somalia as well as in the capital, Mogadishu.

On Friday, one person was killed when a bomb went off outside Yameys Secondary School in the town of Galkayo in the breakaway region of Puntland, located about 750 kilometers (466 miles) north of Mogadishu.

Two Kenyan and three Somali nationals, who worked as teachers at the school, were also wounded, Press Tv quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Friday.

Separately, a man lost his life when an explosives-laden car detonated in Mogadishu’s northwestern district of Hodan. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the bombings.

Somalia has been the scene of deadly clashes between government forces and al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab militants since 2006.

The militants have been pushed out of Mogadishu and other major cities in the country by government forces and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which is largely made up of troops from Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, and Kenya.

UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay has said that the country has “a mighty hill to climb” to review the constitution and then hold a referendum and elections by 2016.

The country has been also plagued by wars, poverty and natural disasters including repeated droughts, famine and flooding. (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)