Somali mayor escapes assassination

MOGADISHU – The mayor of Mogadishu escaped an assassination attempt yesterday when a bomb exploded near his convoy, the latest in a series of attempts to kill government officials as they struggle to contain an insurgency, authorities said.

No one was hurt in the blast targeting Mayor Mohamed Dheere, said the spokesman, Mohamed Muhyadin Ali. “It was an assassination attempt, but luckily he survived,” Ali said.In May, a bomb exploded near Dheere’s convey, killing two civilians.Yesterday’s explosion came an hour before the European Commission’s representative for Somalia arrived in Mogadishu to discuss security and humanitarian issues with President Abdullahi Yusuf.The Somali capital has seen little peace since government troops backed by Ethiopian forces drove an Islamic movement out of the city in December.Roadside bombs, attacks on government installations, assassination attempts and gunbattles have become common, and civilians are caught in the crossfire.Also yesterday, a meeting of Mogadishu’s dominant clan, the Hawiye, was postponed indefinitely because clan elders refused to attend.The meeting was meant to harmonise Hawiye views before this month’s National Reconciliation Conference.Nampa-AP”It was an assassination attempt, but luckily he survived,” Ali said.In May, a bomb exploded near Dheere’s convey, killing two civilians.Yesterday’s explosion came an hour before the European Commission’s representative for Somalia arrived in Mogadishu to discuss security and humanitarian issues with President Abdullahi Yusuf.The Somali capital has seen little peace since government troops backed by Ethiopian forces drove an Islamic movement out of the city in December.Roadside bombs, attacks on government installations, assassination attempts and gunbattles have become common, and civilians are caught in the crossfire.Also yesterday, a meeting of Mogadishu’s dominant clan, the Hawiye, was postponed indefinitely because clan elders refused to attend.The meeting was meant to harmonise Hawiye views before this month’s National Reconciliation Conference.Nampa-AP