A barrage of mortar shells hit parliament building in a heavily fortified area in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Monday, shortly after new MPs approved measures to hold elections for parliament leadership.
Parliament held its second sitting in just a few days to expedite upcoming votes and scheduled that a new speaker will be chosen on April 17. Senators will pick a leadership on April 26.
One of the mortar shells struck the gate of Villa Hargeisa, parliament compound where a number of people wounded, including two of the bodyguards of an opposition MP Abdirahman Abdishakur, who is also a presidential candidate.
Al-Qaeda-aligned militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the assault.
It comes just days after mortar bombs fired by insurgents targeted a heavily fortified venue near Mogadishu Airport where the swearing-in of new MPs & Senators was held on Thursday, but no casualties were reported.
