Somalia car bomb rips through market as China unveils embassy plans

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jun/30/car-bomb-somalia-mogadishu-china-embassy

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A car has bomb ripped through a bustling market in Mogadishu, killing two people and wounding seven, just hours after China announced plans to reopen its embassy in Somalia.

China withdrew diplomatic personnel and axed its mission in the east African country as it descended into civil war in 1991. The pair maintained diplomatic relations despite the absence of a headquarters.

On Monday morning, China said it would reinstate its embassy in Somalia on Tuesday amid signs the country was making solid progress in its efforts to restore peace. But the subsequent explosion in the capital could prompt concerns over moves to strengthen ties.

It is unclear who carried out the attack, but previous similar incidents in Mogadishu have been claimed by al-Shabaab militants, who have vowed to unleash a series of attacks during Ramadan.

Gunmen shot dead three people on Sunday, the first day of the Muslim fasting month, and said the killings marked the start of the Islamist group's campaign of terror.

Previously written off as a failed state, Somalia has installed its most legitimate government for decades since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's election in 2012, but it has struggled to exert influence beyond the capital and remains plagued by deadly attacks by militants.

China's announcement that it would reopen its embassy in the country comes less than a month after the US said it would appoint an ambassador to Mogadishu for the first time since closing its headquarters there 23 years ago. Britain and Turkey, which have opened diplomatic headquarters in Somalia in the past couple of years, are also vying for influence in the Horn of Africa state.

China has made major investments in Africa, mainly in the natural resources sector. Africans broadly see China as a healthy counterbalance to western influence but, as ties mature, there are growing calls from policymakers and economists for more balanced trade relations.

Officials in Beijing made no comment on Monday's explosion.