---
title: "Gunmen storm hotel in central Somalia, siege ongoing"
description: "MOGADISHU, March 11 (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a hotel in the town of Baladweyne in central Somalia on Tuesday where local elders and government officials were meeting and a siege is ongoing, witnesses and relatives told Reuters."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Hotel siege"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-11-gunmen-storm-hotel-in-central-somalia-siege-ongoing/"
published: "2025-03-11T13:06:03"
updated: "2025-03-11T13:06:04"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 162
---

# Gunmen storm hotel in central Somalia, siege ongoing

> MOGADISHU, March 11 (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a hotel in the town of Baladweyne in central Somalia on Tuesday where local elders and government officials were meeting and a siege is ongoing, witnesses and relatives told Reuters.

By Reuters · Published 11 March 2025, 15:06 SAST · Updated 11 March 2025, 15:06 SAST

## Key points
- In a grim reminder that peace is still a distant dream in the Horn of Africa, a deadly attack claimed by Al Shabaab has left at least four dead and a hotel reduced to rubble, while witnesses reported a cacophony of blasts and gunfire echoing through the streets.
- At least four fatalities reported following an attack in Baladweyne, with casualties expected to rise.
- Al Shabaab claims responsibility, asserting they killed over 10 individuals in the assault.
- The militant group continues its campaign of violence in the Horn of Africa, aiming to overthrow the government.
- Eyewitness accounts describe a chaotic scene with blasts and gunfire as government forces engage with attackers.

## Content

Dahir Amin Jesow, a federal lawmaker from Baladweyne, said so far at least four people had been killed but that "we are still counting casualties".

Islamist militant group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement and said it had killed over 10 people.

Al Shabaab frequently launches bombings and gun attacks in the fragile Horn of Africa nation as it tries to topple the government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

"We first heard a huge blast followed by gunfire, then another blast was heard," said Ali Suleiman, a shopkeeper who witnessed the attack.

Parts of the Qahira Hotel had been reduced to rubble as government troops and gunmen exchanged fire, Suleiman added.

Another witness who lives near the hotel, Halima Nur, said gunfire was ringing out intermittently as the siege continued.

(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Alexander Winning and Sharon Singleton)