SA slams deadly terrorist attacks in Somalia

Pretoria said these abhorrent acts of terror had no justification.

"It is deeply despairing that the attacks occurred just as Somalia is beginning to show clear signs of a return to normalcy following the 22-year-long conflict," International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Clayson Moneyla said.

Sending condolences to the government and people of Somalia, as well as to the families of the deceased, Monyela went on to "call on all armed groups, particularly Al-Shabaab, to renounce violence and engage the legitimate government of President Hassan Mohamoud in a constructive manner towards peace and reconciliation, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the conflict of Somalia".

The first attack targeted the newly formed magistrate's court in Mogadishu, in which nine attackers, adorned in uniform and posing as government officials, detonated explosive vests, while others opened gunfire on civilians, leaving 29 dead.

A second attack followed shortly thereafter, targeting a Turkish aid convoy that is in Somalia to help the Somali population. This attack killed five people.

The bombings come a week after international warnings of imminent attacks by extremist group Al-Shabaab in different parts of Somalia.