| Siege of the Villa Rossa Hotel | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Somali Civil War (2009–present) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Somalia |  al-Shabaab | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 Somali soldier killed 5 soldiers injured | 6 fighters killed | ||||||
| 8 civilians killed | |||||||
On November 27, 2022, militants from Al-Shabaab stormed the Villa Rossa Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, holing themselves up in the facility until Somali forces recaptured it.
In 2006, about 15 years after the Somali Civil War began, jihadist group al-Shabaab began an insurgency in an attempt to overthrow the Somali government and impose an extreme interpretation of Sharia. [1] They often attack hotels; they have attacked the country's capital Mogadishu many times. [1] The Islamist group's most deadly attack was a truck bombing in October 2017 which killed over 500 people, and their most recent attack was a double car bombing on 29 October 2022.
The Villa Rossa hotel is located close to the Somali Presidential Palace, in a heavily guarded area of Mogadishu. [2] Inside the hotel is a restaurant, which is frequented often by government officials. [3] In May 2022, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected, and due to his heavy anti-al-Shabaab stance, the militant group increased attacks against Mogadishu and the Somali government. [3] In August, al-Shabaab attacked the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, sparking a 30-hour long siege that killed over twenty people. [4] Similarly, an attack on the Tawakal Hotel in Kismayo on October 23 by al-Shabaab was repulsed. [5]
According to onlookers, at the time of the attack, some government and security officials were dining in the hotel. [3] The attack began at 8:05 pm with a suicide bombing, where the bomber drove an explosives-laden car into the Jilacow Cawe high-security prison. [6] [7] Around two minutes after the blast, six [8] al-Shabaab militants stormed the hotel and surrounding buildings. [6] al-Shabaab confirmed via their radio frequencies that they were committing the attack. [3] Two Somali special forces units, the CIA-trained Gaashaan unit and Turkish-trained Haramad unit led efforts to expel the attackers. Some police officers in the night entered the hotel, and battles took place on the different floors. [9] Government officials inside the building climbed out of windows to escape, and civilians were evacuated although not all could make it out. The militants shot up the hotel, and witnesses reported intense fire and some explosions. [6] Environmental Minister Adam Aw Hirsi, speaking to Reuters, stated that "bullets rained everywhere", and people in the hotel scrambled for the exit. [10] Around sixty civilians were rescued from the hotel during the attack. [6]
al-Shabaab was in control of the hotel the entire night, and by the following morning, gunshots were still being heard in the surrounding area and police officers were attempting to launch a counter-operation to expel the attackers. [11] By the morning, the remaining al-Shabaab gunmen were holed up in a hotel room, and died in battle. [12] The siege ended on November 27 with Somali forces recapturing the hotel, after 20 hours of fighting. [12]
In an attempt to leave the hotel, Somali Minister of Internal Security Mohamed Ahmed Ali Doodishe broke his leg. [5] The Environmental Minister Adam Aw Hirsi, who was at the hotel at the time of the attack, survived with no injuries. [6] Two other politicians, Fisheries Minister Abdilahi Bidhan Warsame and Senator Dunia Mohamed both escaped. [13] Security officials and Somali politicians after the attack expressed confusion as to how the militants were able to storm the hotel, as the area is extremely high-security. [7] A meeting between ministers of parliament was cancelled on November 28 due to the attack. [14]
After the attack, the Somali government launched an offensive in the town of Mahaday, Middle Shabelle, killing 40 al-Shabaab fighters. [15] The offensive was in retribution for the Villa Rossa attack.
The African Union condemned the attack. [16]
Eight civilians were killed in the siege, along with one Somali soldier, and five al-Shabaab fighters. [6] Two of the civilians killed were British citizens.
Five Somali soldiers were injured in the fighting. [10]
The 2009 timeline of events in the Somalia War (2006–2009) during January 2009 is set out below. From the beginning of February the timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present) is set out following the conclusion of the previous phase of the civil war.
The Battle of Mogadishu (2010–11) began on 23 August 2010 when al-Shabaab insurgents began attacking government and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) positions in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab began its offensive after its spokesman said the group was declaring a "massive war" on troops sent by AMISOM, describing its 6,000 peacekeepers as "invaders". In December 2010 the number of AMISOM troops was increased to 8,000 and later to 9,000. The battle's name usually includes the years, when referenced, in order to distinguish it amongst the nine major Battles of Mogadishu during the decades long Somali Civil War.
This is a 2014 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
Operation Indian Ocean was a joint military operation between the Somali military, AMISOM and the United States military against the Al-Shabaab militant group aimed at eliminating the remaining insurgent-held areas in southern Somalia. It officially began in August 2014.
This is a 2015 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
On 27 March 2015, Al-Shabaab militants launched an attack on the Makka al-Mukarama hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. The siege ended a few hours later on 28 March, after the National Intelligence and Security Agency's Gaashaan unit stormed the premises, recaptured it, and killed all five of the attackers. According to the Ministry of Information, around 20 people died during the standoff, including the perpetrators, security forces, hotel security guards and some civilians, with around 28 wounded. The special forces also rescued more than 50 hotel guests. President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ordered an investigation into the attack, and the Ministry of Information announced that the federal government was slated to pass new laws to curb illicit firearms. On 8 May, the Makka al-Mukarama hotel officially reopened after having undergone renovations.
This is a 2016 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
This is a 2017 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
This is a 2018 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
On 28 February 2019 at least 30 people were killed and 60 others injured in three car bombing attacks followed by a siege in Mogadishu. The cars exploded near the Makka Al-Mukarama hotel. The attack happened in Makka Al-Mukarama road which was very busy at the time. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Events in the year 2021 in Somalia.
Events in the year 2022 in Somalia.
On 29 October 2022, 121 people were killed and over 300 were injured by a double car bombing in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused Sunni jihadist group al-Shabaab of carrying out the attacks, which they admitted. The bombing marks the deadliest attack in Somalia since the 14 October 2017 Mogadishu bombings at the same junction.
Events in the year 2023 in Somalia.
The battle of Runirgod took place between December 12 and December 22, 2022, with Somali forces launching an offensive against al-Shabaab in the Runirgod District of Middle Shabelle, the group's last stronghold in the state.
On 10 June 2023, al-Shabaab militants attacked a hotel in Lido Beach, Mogadishu, Somalia, resulting in the killing of six civilians, three soldiers and seven attackers.
Events in the year 2024 in Somalia.
This is a 2024 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
On June 27, 2021, militants from al-Shabaab attacked Somali soldiers and civilian militiamen at a military base in Wisil, Mudug, Somalia. At least 17 soldiers and 13 civilians were killed in the attack, along with dozens of al-Shabaab fighters.
