Survivors’ tales of night of terror after bomb attack at Mogadishu's Liido Beach

Naimo Abdifatah Mohamed and her friends were having a good time, enjoying a serene Friday night out at Liido Beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu when, suddenly, their nice time was shuttered by a brutal terror attack by Al-Shabaab.

A suicide bomber blew himself up meters away from where they were sitting on the white sandy beach. She witnessed first-hand the horror and the chaos that followed.

In the confusion that followed the blast, a deadly gun battle ensued after five Al-Shabaab fighters stormed the nearby Beach View Hotel, shooting people indiscriminately.

“Liido Beach was packed on Friday. We chose a nice spot near the sea and sat on the sandy beach and got lost in our conversation before the suicide bomber blew himself up not far away from us,” Naimo told The Eastleigh Voice.

She was facing the suicide bomber when all hell broke loose.

“I was directly facing the suicide bomber who blew himself, with my back on the seaside. We ducked down and remained lying on our chests for some time as people wailed and ran helter-skelter,” she said.

After regaining their breath, they fled along the beach towards the seaport even as the shooting continued.

In the confusion that ensued, they lost touch with two of their friends. Later, they made their way out towards the main tarmac road from Liido Beach where people were fleeing in droves.

That was when Naimo realised they were safe.

Moments later, wounded survivors started streaming out of the beach helped by security forces. Naimo and her friend forgot their plight and rushed to help them.

“We begged rickshaw drivers to carry the wounded and helped those who could not walk. I had never witnessed a terror attack before. Am still in shock. So many people died, it was a terrible night of terror,” she said in a hoarse voice.

An empty Liido beach a day after the terrorist attack. (Photo: Hassan Mohamed)

The Somali government later announced on Saturday it ended an Al-Shabaab siege at Liido beach where at least 32 people died and 63 others were injured.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. Security forces said all five attackers were killed and that a sixth terrorist blew himself up.

“Security forces killed five Al-Shabaab attackers and another terrorist blew himself up at Liido Beach causing casualties to civilians,” read a statement shared on state media.

The attack devastated Naimo.

“Our beautiful, serene night at the beach was shattered by the attack. I still don’t know what those innocent youths did to be killed in such a cruel way,” she said.

As for 23-year-old Liiban Ahmed Ali, a waiter at one of the coffee shops along Liido Beach, the explosion brought their booming business to a standstill.

“Business was booming. We had many clients in the café and the beach was also packed. Suddenly, all that was shattered by a huge explosion on the beachfront followed by heavy gun battles in a hotel opposite ours,” Liiban told The Eastleigh Voice a day after the attack.

He ran and hid in a room.

A view shows the deserted scene of an explosion that occurred while revellers were swimming at the Lido beach in Mogadishu, Somalia August 3, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS)

“It was so scary. I called my parents and cried. I had never witnessed such horror. I used to hear of terror attacks; this was a close one,” he said.

He said calm returned to Liido Beach a day later and returned to work. Security forces and city cleaners were removing debris including burnt cars. The main electricity company, Beco, also fixed damaged power lines.

Liido Beach was empty on Saturday as security forces denied people entry. Few businesses were open and people watched as the clean-up continued.

“Liido is now calm. Business is slowly picking up. We have very few revellers now. The terrorists cannot stop us from living; life must continue. We will slowly pick up and move on,’’ Liiban said.

This is not the first time Al-Shabaab insurgents have attacked Liido Beach. The last attack happened last year when nine people were killed.

With Mogadishu being the most protected city in Somalia, Abdullahi Adow, a rickshaw driver, wondered how Al-Shabaab attackers often breach security to cause such chaos and bloodshed.

“Mogadishu is tethering with thousands of heavily armed forces who stop you at every other junction. What I fail to understand is how Al-Shabaab passed through. It remains a mystery,” Adow told The Eastleigh Voice.

However, it’s a different story on the frontlines. Somali forces are winning against Al-Shabaab and have since May 2022, when the current government came to power, liberated many towns from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud issued a statement on Saturday condemning the Friday night attack and shared his condolences with the families that lost loved ones.

He urged the Somali people to work with security agencies to improve security and defeat Al-Shabaab.

“My fellow Somalis, please note that Al-Shabaab does not differentiate between civilians and government officials. To them, we are the enemies that deserve to die. Let’s unite to defeat them and support government forces by unmasking this enemy that hides amongst you,” Hassan said.