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Monday, August 5, 2024
Heroic moment: Abdulrahman Raj carries a wounded boy to safety during the deadly Al Shabaab attack on Lido Beach (left). Raj took this photo after the incident, recounting his heroic act of saving lives amid the chaos (right).
MOGADISHU (HOL) — A video posted on social media shows Abdirahman Rage rescuing a young man injured in the explosion at Lido Beach on Friday night. In the video, Rage crouched and knelt beside the injured man on the ground while people fled the scene amid chaos and uncertainty.
At 10 p.m. local time, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the Lido Beach Hotel, and five attackers then rushed into the area, targeting people who were dining, swimming or walking. Climbing to nearly 40and another 140 people were injured. Somalia’s Minister of Health Ali Haji Adam reported that 11 of the injured were in critical condition, 137 lightly injured people have been discharged after treatment, and the remaining 64 injured are still receiving treatment in the hospital.
Raji told the BBC about his experience, saying he arrived at Lido Beach minutes before the explosion and wanted to take a break and have a cup of coffee. “I went to the Beach View cafe to have a coffee. I was sitting there for a few minutes and the explosion happened. I was sitting about fifteen steps away from the explosion, but the wall of the cafe stopped me,” Raji said.
Describing the scene afterwards, Raj said joy turned to sadness as smoke billowed, gunfire continued and people fled the beach. “It was chaos. I took shelter in a nearby hotel called Liido Sea Food. Inside, I saw a boy lying outside with his hands raised and the gunfire continued,” he said. At first, Raj hesitated whether to approach the boy because the gunfire was so intense. “The bullets even hit the ground,” he said. The people he had been hiding with had left, leaving only him and the two girls. Then he made a difficult decision. “Despite the danger and the fact that I knew I might get hit by a bullet, I decided to help the boy and managed to save him,” Raj added.
“I am still amazed at the decision I made,” he said. “It was a feeling I can’t describe. If a similar danger were to happen now, I doubt I would still be so brave. But that night, it was God’s will that my decision was unexpectedly changed and I focused completely on that boy.”
A few days later, Raj found out where the injured boy was being treated and went to visit him. “We got to know each other and he recognised me. He held my hand for a long time and said, ‘You saved my life’,” Raj told the BBC.
In response to the attack, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre announced Arrested several officers Somali officials on duty said Somalia is taking drastic measures to hold those responsible for security negligence accountable. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Barre convened an emergency security meeting to address the situation and discuss measures to strengthen security in Mogadishu. Barre described the attack as a “barbaric atrocity” that goes against Somali values and called for unified support for the victims and continued emergency operations.
Hundreds of Mogadishu residents Sunday protest After the attack, Somalis demanded justice and expressed solidarity with Al-Shabaab. Government officials, including ministers, participated in a protest at Lido Beach. Protesters held Somali flags and anti-Al-Shabaab slogans and chanted along the beach where the attack took place.
Survivors of the attack described the horror they experienced. Omar Elmi recalled: “We were having fun on the beach when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the crowd. Then we saw many people scattered on the ground, dead, wounded and terrified.” Hassan Farah added: “I was drinking coffee in the restaurant and chatting with friends when I saw a big man running around, Then there was a huge explosion. We were surrounded by smoke. Many people were lying on the ground inside and outside the restaurant, while others were bleeding and crying.
The attack also highlighted a key Blood shortage Hospital in Somalia. Dr. Abdullahi Dahir, director of a private hospital, stressed the urgent need for a national blood bank. Hospitals often turn to social media to find emergency blood donors, highlighting the severe strain on resources. The Somali government has announced plans to revive the national blood bank, stressing its critical role in saving lives in emergencies.
In March this year, the government 16 people arrestedSomalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has accused a number of Somali gangs of helping to smuggle vehicles used in the attack.
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