Attacks on Somali government compounds and hotels hosting official meetings only make up a small number of the Islamist insurgent group Al-Shabaab’s total operations, but the group stages several such attacks a year in Mogadishu, a prime example being the Al-Hayat Hotel in August 2022.
On March 15, 2024, five of the movement’s fighters stormed the Syl Hotel adjacent to the presidential complex in the capital, taking control of it for 17 hours. The operation raised questions over how they were able to storm this fortified hotel, and prompted speculation about their objectives.
Security sources told the Center for African Security Studies that three of the group’s fighters had been able to enter normally through the hotel’s main gates, dressed in civilian clothes and presenting forged ID cards, claiming they worked for the Somali intelligence services.
After they had entered, their car blew up next to a checkpoint adjacent to the hotel. As the police and security forces focused on the aftermath of the explosion, the three fighters closed the hotel’s internal gate and rigged it with explosives, declaring themselves in control of the hotel.
The facility is just a six-minute walk from the presidential complex, which includes the headquarters of the president and prime minister. This green area is also surrounded by six checkpoints, including the Sayidka junction, May 15, Bondhere, and Daljirka checkpoints. They are manned by officers from the Somali intelligence services and equipped with high-tech devices for detecting explosives.
Security sources confirmed that the three Shabaab fighters had arrived in a Toyota loaded with several explosive devices, which had crossed the Sayidka checkpoint.
This suggests that there was a security breach at the checkpoint, or that those manning it were colluding with the operation. That suspicion is strengthened by the fact that Somali intelligence chief Mahad Salad had ordered a change to the personnel at the checkpoint the day before the operation took place.
Following an intense exchange of gunfire at the hotel, the security services began attempting to retake it, in several stages. The Al-Shabaab fighters had already booby-trapped the front and back gates, which slowed down security services as they tried to reach the hotel.
The Outcome of the Operation
After they had closed the hotel’s internal gate, the fighters began searching for officials at a meeting inside the hotel, with the aim of detaining or killing them. The operation left 31 hotel guests dead, most of them prominent political and tribal figures, along with three security and military personnel killed while trying to retake the hotel.
A further 46 people were injured, including 27 military personnel and six parliamentarians, including MP Osman Diri, government spokesman Farhan Jimale, the Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish-trained Haram’ad police unit, and several Mogadishu municipal officials.
On the other side, five Al-Shabaab members were killed, while two others were able to escape from the hotel before it was reseized. This means that in total, seven Shabaab fighters took part in the attack on the hotel. While three of them entered as described above, it is not clear how the others entered.
What is clear is that the storming of the hotel was carefully planned. The attackers were able to hold out for 17 hours before security forces retook control. Units trained by the UAE and Türkiye were unable to seize it back, and the siege was only ended thanks to the support of the intelligence service’s American-trained Gashan unit.
It is noteworthy that among the Shabaab fighters who were killed was a man called Liban Muhammad Ahmed, who had worked as a technical contractor for the Somali Parliament and had a government card enabling him to enter government facilities. This indicates that the movement is increasingly ability to work undercover and infiltrate government institutions.
The incident also demonstrates Al-Shabaab’s ability to organize complex attacks, taking advantage of its infiltration of security and military bodies. The movement’s attack on the Gordon military base at Mogadishu’s airport in February 2024 was another recent example of this. Another incident showing the movement’s ability to penetrate the state was the defection of a close friend of former parliament speaker and defense minister Mohamed Mursal, who had been found to be an active member of the Al-Shabaab movement.
The Syl hotel attack is likely to prompt the Somali prime minister and president to sack leading intelligence and security figures—indeed, three officers in charge of the Sayidka checkpoint have already been placed under arrest and investigation. The government is also likely to step up security measures to protect senior figures.
