Al-Shabaab Takes Over AU Base in Lower Shabelle, Leaving Many Stunned and Bewildered!

Friday, May 26th, 2023

The African Union peacekeeping military base in Bulo Marer, situated in the Lower Shabelle region and found 110 kilometres south of Mogadishu, now lies under assault by al-Shabaab militants. Reports from local sources reveal that the insurgents utilized several explosive devices to infiltrate the base. In addition, witnesses spotted fighters inside the town.

Drones, meanwhile, are currently surveying the area, but figures regarding damage and casualties remain unknown. The media branch of al-Shabaab alleges that the militants have successfully dominated the base, but no independent verification of this claim exists.

To the present, the Somali government and African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have not issued a public statement in response to the attack.

Last year, another attack on an African Union base occurred in the village of El-Baraf, located approximately 150 kilometers north of Mogadishu, where al-Shabaab killed at least thirty Burundian soldiers, with another twenty sustaining injuries. Additional details from a Burundian official uncovered ten fatalities naturally, while the remaining succumbed to their injuries over time, with several soldiers still reported missing. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they killed over one hundred soldiers; nevertheless, the high casualty figure was never independently verified.