A/HRC/24/40
premises sustained serious damage and are considered unsuitable for continued operations
in the immediate term;
(b)
On 19 March, the Human Rights Unit received reports from reliable sources
in Baidoa and Elbarde that Al-Shabaab killed and beheaded Sheikh Abdirahman Moalim
Warsame, the spiritual leader of Hudur. The Sheikh was abducted from his house around
midnight and his beheaded body was found the following day;
(c)
On 8 April, Al-Shabaab reportedly executed a young woman by firing squad
for allegedly spying for the United States of America and the Government of Somalia in the
Bulo Burte district (200 km north of Mogadishu). Eyewitness accounts confirmed that the
woman was tied to a pole and executed in the early morning in front of a large crowd after
being “tried” and “sentenced” to death by an Al-Shabaab “court”;
(d)
On 14 April, nine Al-Shabaab operatives launched a sustained assault on the
main court complex in the Banadir district of Mogadishu. The assailants took more than 30
hostages and engaged in extended gun battle with the Somali national security forces. The
number of fatalities was reported at 32 but did not include the deaths of security personnel.
Figures of the United Nations Development Programme point to 56 deaths and many more
injured;
(e)
On 5 May 2013, local media reported that at least 8 civilians were killed and
15 injured after a suicide car bomber rammed into a convoy carrying a Qatari delegation in
Mogadishu. It was not clear if the target was the delegation or the Minister for the Interior
and National Security, in whose armoured vehicle the delegation was travelling. AlShabaab claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened more.
3.
Personnel-borne improvised explosive devices
45.
Al-Shabaab has reportedly often used personnel-borne improvised explosive devices
on non-military objects. On 13 September 2012, three suicide bombers attempted an attack
against the newly elected President at the Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu. Ali
Mohamud Rage, the spokesman for Al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack.
46.
In addition to targeted killings, Al-Shabaab is reported to have continued its
campaign of intimidation through roadblocks, and delivery of threatening letters and calls
to civilians working for or viewed as supportive of the Government, international military
forces and the United Nations. In some cases these threats caused individuals to leave their
homes and jobs.
4.
Killings targeting various categories of society, including government officials,
Members of Parliament and journalists
47.
Targeted killings of civilians continued in Mogadishu. According to a Department of
Safety and Security report, a total of 174 targeted assassinations took place between
September and December 2012. Of those, 63 took place in Mogadishu, with 26 likely to be
Al-Shabaab related.
48.
Politicians are also targeted often. For example, on 22 September 2012, Mustafa
Haji Mohamed, a Member of Parliament, was shot dead while leaving a mosque in
Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab has publicly announced that members of the new Parliament are
lawful targets. It has reportedly executed individuals perceived to be supportive of the
Federal Government or AMISOM, often on suspicion of “spying”. Killings in such cases
were carried out through public executions that followed public court hearings.
10
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents