Gunmen attack UN site in Mogadishu

Gunmen have attacked an office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, reports say.

The incident took place on Wednesday after a bomber blew himself up at the gate of the UNDP office. Armed men then went inside the office and opened fire on security guards, Reuters reported.

A UN source said that the staff were in a safe zone at the time of the attack.

The compound is near the capital’s airport, serving as the main base for an African peacekeeping force fighting against fighters in Somalia.

Local al-Shabab fighters have claimed responsibility for the attack.

A senior al-Shabab official said, “Our commandos have attacked the UN compound… we set off an explosion and have entered the compound, where we are fighting with the infidel forces.”

Somalia has not had an effective central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

However, MPs meeting in Mogadishu elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president of Somalia with a big majority in September 2012.