(09-06-23) MOGADISHU — Over 25 children have tragically lost their lives and 53 others injured after an unexploded ordnance detonated in the Muraale village, located in the Lower Shabelle region on Friday. The Deputy Governor of Qoryooley district confirmed the incident, revealing that the children had inadvertently set off the dormant explosive while playing football.
Speaking to Dalsan TV, the Deputy Governor described a horrifying scene that unfolded Friday morning. The children, all boys aged between 8 and 13 years, were on a school break and playing football near the unexploded ordinance that had been in the area for some time. Tragically, 24 of them died instantly when the ordnance exploded after being struck by an iron object.
Three of the critically injured were rushed to Mogadishu for emergency medical care but sadly succumbed to their injuries on the way. The explosion occurred in a rural area, 5km from Qoryooley city, known as Muraale.
This tragic incident has ignited calls for better protection and education for local residents, to prevent future similar incidents. The Qoryooley district administration has urged for more action to safeguard the district’s inhabitants from potential explosions resulting from remnants of the civil war and unexploded ordnances left by those engaged in terrorist activities.
Stressing the urgency of the situation, the Deputy Governor said, “These people need awareness, they don’t have knowledge.” He recalled a similar incident in 2018, where 8 people died due to the detonation of unexploded explosives. He urged the leaders of the South West State and other relevant agencies to engage in efforts to educate the local population about the lingering dangers posed by dormant explosives.
Governor Ibrahim Malabow of Qoryooley district, while speaking to the BBC, revealed that the site of the recent tragedy, Muraale, is located between Qoryooley and Janaale. He placed the blame squarely on Al-Shabaab, accusing the terrorist group of having planted the explosives. The Governor’s comments underscore the ongoing threat that these hidden explosives pose to unsuspecting civilians, particularly in remote and rural areas of Somalia.
