Suicide bomber kills Somali sports chiefs

Two of Somalia’s top sports officials have been killed in a suicide blast at the country’s newly reopened national theatre.

The explosion in Mogadishu left at least 10 people dead.

Soccer federation secretary Shafici Mohyadin said the president of Somalia’s Olympic committee and the president of its soccer federation were among the victims at a ceremony at the theatre.

Government officials and other dignitaries were at the ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the start of a national TV station.

Al-Shabab militants were largely pushed out of Mogadishu last year by African Union troops, and a period of relative peace had descended on the city, allowing sports leagues, restaurants and even a little night life to flourish.

Despite those advances, al-Shabab has continued to carry out suicide and roadside bomb attacks, sometimes with devastating effect. Last October militants detonated a truck loaded with fuel drums at a government ministry gate, killing more than 100 people.