The Somali Health Minister reports that at least 37 civilians died in the blast, which left a further 212 people injured.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has issued a statement “strongly” condemning and denouncing Friday’s suicide bomb and shooting attack at the popular Lido Beach in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the State of Qatar’s firm position on rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of the motives and reasons,” the ministry’s statement read on Saturday.

Al Shabaab, who publicly announced allegiance to the armed Al Qaeda group in 2012, claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday via an affiliated radio station, Al Jazeera reports.

The report added that one attacker detonated a suicide bomb at the entrance of Lido’s Beach View Hotel. Other assailants attempted to storm the hotel while others fired at civilians at the beach itself.

Ali Haji Aden, the Somali Minister of Health and Social Welfare, said on Friday that the death toll stood at 37 civilians with a further 212 people injured.

Hamza Abdi Barre, Somali Prime Minister, visited the injured at Mogadishu’s Erdoğan Hospital Saturday night.

“Rest assured, we are taking strict action against those responsible,” Barre said via X.

In a separate statement, Salah Jama, Somali Deputy Prime Minister, added that the government was “determined to eradicate this group and liberate the areas where they are hiding”.

He also extended words of condolences to those impacted by the attack.

This was echoed in Saturday’s Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry statement which also extended words of condolences to Somalia’s government, the country’s families and victims of the attack.

Attempts by the Al Shabaab guerilla group to destabilise the central Somali government span over a decade.

In October 2022, the group’s militants claimed responsibility for killing of at least 121 people and wounding a further 300 people in a double car bombing campaign which targeted the country’s Ministry of Education building in Somalia’s capital.

The conflict has contributed to displacing more than 3.8 million people in the Horn of Africa while at least 6.7 million people struggle to meet their basic food needs.

At the 2024 Oslo Forum, Mohammed Al Khulaifi, Qatari Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the forum that the Gulf state seeks to support peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.

Speaking to Doha News last May, Deputy Prime Minister Jama recognised Qatar’s leadership in conflict resolution and peace-building, adding that such expertise could significantly assist Somalia’s pursuit of peace and stability.

“Qatar can play a very significant role in our pursuit of peace and stability, economic growth, and political agreements and settlements,” he said.