Unsettling wave of attacks targets Hormuud Telecom amidst allegations of rivalry

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Unsettling wave of attacks targets Hormuud Telecom amidst allegations of rivalry

NAIROBI (HORN OBSERVER) – Abdiwahab Osman Ahmed, an employee at the Hormuud Telecom in Mogadishu was killed after a fatal bombing incident on Saturday in the Huriwa neighbourhoods of the capital.

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Remnants of the Toyota Noah, the vehicle carrying Hormuud employees, shattered by a bomb explosion on Saturday in the Huriwa neighborhoods of Mogadishu.

NAIROBI (HORN OBSERVER) – Abdiwahab Osman Ahmed, an employee at the Hormuud Telecom in Mogadishu was killed after a fatal bombing incident on Saturday in the Huriwa neighbourhoods of the capital.

Family members and company representatives confirmed the tragic event, revealing that a bomb planted beneath the seat of his Toyota Noah vehicle exploded while driving in the Huriwaa neighborhood of Mogadishu.

The targeted vehicle was en route to the company headquarters when the explosion occurred, claiming the life of Abdiwahab Osman Ahmed. Two other Hormuud Telecom employees sustained injuries and are currently undergoing treatment in the hospital.

This incident comes merely 10 days after another explosion targeted a Hormuud Telecom vehicle at the km13 area on the Mogadishu-Afgoye corridor, resulting in the tragic death of senior Hormuud employee Ahmed Omar Abdulle on December 13, as reported by local media.

An anonymous official, citing security concerns, disclosed that these attacks are not isolated events. Throughout November, a series of explosions have targeted Hormuud Telecom offices both within and outside Mogadishu. These include a bomb explosion that nearly obliterated an office and a telecom mast in the Garas Baaley neighborhood on November 16, as well as another in the Musaley area within the Ceelasha Biyaha region.

No group has claimed responsibility for these explosions, and security services have maintained a tight-lipped stance on the matter.

Despite previous threats from Al-Shabaab directed at Hormuud Telecom staff, officials now assert that other adversaries are at play.

Recent reports suggest that the company has been receiving threats from Mahad Salad, the director of the Somali national intelligence and security agency (NISA), who allegedly plans to launch his own telecom company in the capital.

Sources in Mogadishu reveal that a deal formalizing the new company had been concluded, utilizing funds diverted from donor investments in the country.

Salad, in collaboration with Mustafe Yasin, the director of the National Communication Authority (NCA), reportedly continues to work on establishing their own company, even with a saturated market. Notably, they have permitted the Chinese giant, Huawei Telecom, to appoint NISA-linked company as its representative to Somalia.

Business rivals we spoke to say, the duo’s strategy involves threatening competitors, such as Said Diriye, a senior Hormuud representative who was detained earlier this month by national intelligence and held in the cell for more than two weeks.

Diriye was freed two weeks later without charges.

Efforts to obtain comments from both Yasin and Salad have been unsuccessful despite repeated attempts.