26 killed, 56 injured in hotel siege in Somali

At least 26 people including foreigners were killed and 56 injured in a suicide bomb and gun attack by Al-Shabaab militants on a popular hotel in southern Somalia.

The Al-Shabaab extremist attacked Asasey Hotel in the port town of Kismayu on Friday evening, where lawmakers and community elders had gathered for a discussion on the upcoming elections.

The gunmen detonated a suicide car bomb at the hotel gate before storming inside, and shooting as they walked.

In a statement, Ahmed Mohamed, the president of Jubaland, said three Kenyans, two Americans, one British, three Tanzanians, and one Canadian were among those killed in the attack. A presidential candidate for the upcoming regional elections was also killed.

Hodan Nalayeh, a prominent Somali-Canadian journalist and her husband were among those killed in the attack.

A local police officer told the Associated Press that the attack lasted more than 14 hours before all the attackers were gunned down.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, strongly condemned the terrorist attack in a statement.

Mahamat expressed his sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wished a swift recovery to those injured in the attack.

The Chairperson also reiterated a firm and continued solidarity of the African Union with the people of Somalia in their pursuit for peace in their country.

In her twitter account, Amb Monica Juma, the Kenya's cabinet secretary for Foreign Affairs, termed the attack as another reminder to the international community of the imperative to list the Al Shabaab under the UNSC resolution 1267, as well as strengthen collective resolve in countering terrorist actions and ideology.

"I convey my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the people that lost their lives to the terrorist attack," she said.

The attack took place a days after the conclusion of a two-day African regional high-level conference on counter-terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism conducive to terrorism, jointly convened by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and the Kenya government at the UN offices in Nairobi.

The Conference brought together more than 1,200 participants from 100 countries, including ministers, policy-makers, civil society representatives, and heads of security and counter-terrorism agencies, as well as regional and international organizations.

It focused on enhancing cooperation between member states, the United Nations, the African Union and other regional and international organizations to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism.

The United Nations secretary-general António Guterres, highlighted the vital importance of multilateral cooperation to detect, identify and disrupt violent extremism and to bring terrorists to justice.

He emphasized that for terrorism to be defeated, it is essential that African counter-terrorism is holistic, well-funded, underpinned by respect for human rights, and most importantly backed by political will.