Somalia: Explosions at Mogadishu's Bakara Market kill at least 10 people Feb. 6 /update 1

Authorities will likely maintain a heightened security presence in parts of Mogadishu over the coming hours after several explosions killed at least 10 people and wounded 15 others at the capital's Bakara Market Feb. 6. Local officials have said that the explosions targeted several electronics shops in the area and intimated that they were caused by the detonations of explosive devices; earlier reports suggested that mortar rounds caused the blasts. No claim of responsibility was immediately reported in connection with the explosions; however, Al-Shabaab militants frequently carry out bomb attacks in Somalia and previously threatened traders at Bakara Market with attacks if they installed security cameras outside their shops. It was not immediately clear if the blasts were related to the Al-Shabaab threat.

Transport and business disruptions will likely impact the vicinity of Bakara Market over the coming hours. Similar attacks cannot be ruled out in Mogadishu over the short term.