In a statement from his office, the Prime Minister said the blast at a vegetable market in Baidoa, Somalia’s third-largest city, portrays Al-Shabaab’s commitment in butchering innocent lives in the country.

He said the group resorted to use such inhumane actions after it was defeated in the frontlines, saying that it is just a matter of time before the group is cleared out of the country.

The blast happened days after the African Union sent the first patch of the 2,500 personnel expected to be deployed in the city to keep law and order and replace the current Ethiopian troops in the city in the near future.

Meanwhile, the PM sent his condolences to the family and friends of the fallen prominent Somali elder, Beldaje Farah Beldaaje who died in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.

Ali said the country lost a devoted citizen and an elder who always preached peace among the Somalis, adding Beldaje played a crucial role in propagating peace and tolerance in Somalia a time the country was in a deep political crisis.