MOGADISHU, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Somali security forces were deployed across major installations in the restive capital Mogadishu as the Horn of Africa nation marked the first anniversary of October 14, 2017 bombing attack that left hundreds of people dead.
According to the UN and Somali government, the explosion killed at least 587 people and ranks as one of the deadliest ever terrorist attacks in Africa involving the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Another 316 people were injured in the blast, and among the fatalities was a United Nations program worker.
Local people including those who bear the scars of the bombing gathered at the intersection where the horrific attack took place to mark the anniversary.
The government said security would be beefed up in the area where a monument has been erected, to allow residents to commemorate their fallen family members and friends.
A massive car bomb detonated outside the entrance to a hotel in the city's K5 junction, which is home to government offices, hotels and restaurants. Later in the day, a second bombing was reported in the city's Madina district.
In his statement to mark the anniversary, Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, expressed his solidarity with the victims of a devastating suicide bombing in central Mogadishu a year ago during a brief ceremony on Sunday at the main UN compound in Mogadishu.
Haysom called upon the forces of violent extremism to refrain from using IEDs as a weapon of insurgency.
"Owing to the indiscriminate nature of IED attacks, most of the victims are usually innocent civilians -- men, women and children. No political purpose can ever be served by the random killing of civilians," he said.
The UN also lauded the resilient spirit of the Somali people and noted how the country's progress towards peace and prosperity has continued unabated despite sporadic incidents of terrorism.
"Our thoughts also go out to those survivors of the explosion whose lives were irreversibly altered by the terrible events of October 14, 2017. May they and their loved ones find the strength to overcome the lasting physical and mental scars left by this heinous attack," Haysom said.
