On 26 April 2021, the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu issued a Security Alert, which reads in part as follows: “The U.S. Embassy in Somalia reminds U.S. citizens of the dangers of traveling to or residing in Somalia. The security situation has deteriorated in the last few months. March saw the highest number of improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in Mogadishu since September 2019. Mogadishu has experienced one suicide vehicle-borne IED each month in 2021 compared to six for the entirety of 2020. This apparent increased capacity to conduct suicide terrorist operations, against a backdrop of political uncertainty, has the potential to affect Somalia’s security situation with no warning.
“An ongoing political impasse in Somalia led to a significant outbreak of violence in Mogadishu between government and opposition-affiliated forces on April 25, 2021. This violence included the use of heavy weapons, including explosives. Violence such as this may occur without any ability to provide advance warning to U.S. citizens.”
To read the full text of the warning please click here.
