A Turkish security guard and a Somali civilian were killed. Guards shot at the car as it approached the building Saturday, killing two attackers before a third militant set off the bomb.

A Somali witness told AFP that an explosives-laden vehicle rammed the gates of a building housing embassy staff and exploded, also killing what he described as a passer-by.

The Shebab claimed the attack on their twitter feed, saying their forces “have just carried out an operation targeting a group of Turkish diplomats.”

“The Turkish are part of a group of nations bolstering the apostate regime and attempting to suppress the establishment of Islamic sharia,” the Islamists said.

The top United Nations envoy in Somalia strongly condemned a suicide attack against an office housing Turkish staff earlier today in Mogadishu which reportedly ended in deaths and injuries.

“My deep sympathy and sincere condolences go to the Turkish government, the victims and those who have lost their loved ones,” said Nicholas Kay, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia.

“Turkey has been working tirelessly and bravely to help the Somali people over the last few years,” he noted.

The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), which Kay heads, added that this is one of the several attacks that Al Shabaab has carried out during the holy month of Ramadan.

“I condemn all acts of terrorism,” Kay stressed. He added that UNSOM and international partners “stand firm in our efforts to help the Somali people to enjoy the peace and development they so desperately want and need.”

UNSOM, which began operations last month, is tasked by the Council with supporting the Horn of Africa nation as it seeks to build on hard-won gains achieved last year and emerge from over two decades of strife.

“I join the government and the people of Somalia in condemning these senseless acts of terror,” the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga, said in the statement from the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS).

“My thoughts are with families and friends of those killed and injured,” Mr. Mahiga added.

Initial reports indicate that many innocent civilians were killed including women and at least one child, according to UNPOS. Many more were injured in the blasts, which occurred in multiple locations, including at the Regional Court House.

Media sources reported that the assault on the court house consisted of a car bomb explosion and armed attackers who stormed the compound. Witnesses said people rushed to exit the building, some by climbing down ladders leaning against the court house walls.

The Al-Shabaab, an Islamist armed group reportedly linked to Al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility.

Mr. Mahiga was “shocked and outraged” by today’s attacks, UNPOS said, stressed that Somalia is making remarkable progress toward stabilization and these great strides “will not be overshadowed by the desperate acts of these cowardly terrorists.”

“The international community will continue to support the Federal government in their efforts to ensure a safe and secure Somalia for all its citizens,” Mahiga stressed.

Somalia marked a historic political watershed last August when it swore-in the first formal parliament and ended a so-called “transition” phase which had begun with the 2004 launch of a UN-backed interim government. The previous functioning government ended in 1991 with the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The Secretary-General established UNPOS on 15 April 1995, to help advance the cause of peace and reconciliation through contacts with Somali leaders, civic organisations and the states and organisations concerned.

“Somalia is beginning to undergo profound transformation,” said Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman. “The United Nations will continue to assist however possible at this critical time.”

After decades of factional fighting and lawlessness, the East African country has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process, with a series of landmark steps last year that have helped to bring an end to its nine-year political transition period. These steps included the adoption of a Provisional Constitution, the establishment of a new Parliament and the appointments of a new President and a new Prime Minister.

During his visit, Mr. Feltman met with senior Government officials, including Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, and the Speaker of the Somali Parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawari.

He also met with members of the UN country team and UN staff serving in Mogadishu.

“I was inspired and encouraged by what I heard today from the Somali authorities,” Mr. Feltman said. “This is a Government which has both vision and a practical plan to implement it. They have truly taken ownership of the process and our role is to do our utmost to support the Somali authorities, across the board and without hesitation.”

Mr. Feltman’s visit follows the announcement by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, over the weekend that he would be proposing to the Security Council the establishment of a new UN peacebuilding presence in Somalia, as part of efforts to strengthen the UN-AU partnership on the ground.

In his meetings, Mr. Feltman encouraged dialogue and reconciliation and expressed concerns over human rights, particularly sexual violence against women, and urged the Government to take the necessary steps to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights. The discussions also focused on the future of the UN presence in Somalia and the need for a better coordinated and coherent approach by the international community to support this new phase of peacebuilding.

“At a time when the world’s eyes are turned to Africa, the international community needs to react to this death by pressing Somalia to take energetic measures in response to the constant violence against journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said.

“Working as a journalist in Somalia requires permanent courage and determination. The attacks against them are targeted and unpredictable, and go unpunished. We urge the government to respond to the distress call from the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) for the creation of a special force to protect journalists”.

Aged 45, Adan was an active member of NUSOJ, the Reporters Without Borders partner organization in Somalia. He was one of the few Shabelle Media Network journalists not to live on the premises. Almost all of the news outlet’s employees prefer to live there full-time because it is protected and because the streets are so dangerous for them.

Three of its journalists were murdered in 2012: Hassan Osman Abdi, its director, in January, Ahmed Ado Anshur in May and Mohamed Mohamud Turyare in October. In all, its employees have been the targets of half a dozen cases of violence, threats and intimidation in the past 12 months.

Shabelle Media Network’s radio station, Radio Shabelle, won the Reporters Without Borders press freedom prize in 2010.

This year has not begun well for the Somali media. Abdulaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, a journalist working for two radio stations, Dalsan and Ergo, has been held at the Central Investigation Department (CID) since 10 January after interviewing a woman who said she was raped by soldiers. Three other journalists were briefly detained. The victim finally withdrew her complaint after several days of police harassment.

With 18 journalists killed in connection with their work in 2012, Somalia was Africa’s deadliest country for the media and the world’s second-most dangerous country for news providers, after Syria.

“Last year, we were able to halt the downward spiral into starvation for hundreds of thousands of people. Famine conditions have not been present since January,” said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, in a news release.

“However, the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains critical with 2.51 million people in urgent need of aid and a further 1.29 million at risk of sliding back into crisis,” he added.

On 20 July 2011, famine was declared in southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle, after the regions were hit by one of the worst droughts in decades. A month later, the famine spread to four more regions in the country, including the capital, Mogadishu.

The six-month crisis caused thousands of deaths and required a massive humanitarian aid programme, before the famine was declared officially over on 2 February 2012. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), famine is declared when acute malnutrition rates among children exceed 30 per cent, more than two people per every 10,000 die per day, and people are not able to access food and other basic necessities.

The humanitarian situation was complicated by the broader context on the ground. The militant group known as the Al-Shabaab has denied direct access, for a range of international humanitarian organizations, to those people most in need in parts of the country under its control. The Al-Shabaab has been engaged in warfare with Somalia’s military and the UN-backed African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) over territory.

Bowden said there had been progress largely on the humanitarian front due to the exceptional harvest at the beginning of the year and innovative approaches to food security, which address changes in world food prices and obstacles to access people.

However, he noted, the progress made since last year could easily slip backwards if high levels of assistance are not sustained.

“Humanitarian actors need funds to provide the most vulnerable Somalis with urgently needed assistance, such as food, clean water, sanitation facilities and medical care,” Bowden said. “These funds are also needed to build sustainable livelihoods for people who have few or no resources after years of drought and conflict, thereby increasing their resilience to future crises.”

Also today, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stressed that the situation in Somalia remains critical as reduced rains this year will lead to a below-average to poor harvest in many parts of the south.

“Continued humanitarian support is of utmost importance,” said FAO’s Head of Operations in Somalia, Luca Alinovi, adding that there is also a need to build social safety nets to protect the most vulnerable if and when drought hits again in the future.

FAO has been helping farmers and herders build long-term resilience not just through the immediate provision of cash but also by providing improved seeds and fertilizers, as well as vaccinations for livestock to increase production.

For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today that it has been working on long-term interventions to build resilience and address the needs of the most vulnerable, including nearly one million children who have been treated for malnutrition across the Horn of Africa.

“Traditional coping mechanisms are being stretched to the limit for many communities,” said UNICEF’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Elhadj As Sy. “We need to preserve our hard-won gains, and invest in children today to prevent similar crises from happening again in the future.”

UN agencies and humanitarian non-governmental organizations are urging donors to provide $576 million to address the population’s needs over the next six months. According to OCHA, the revised appeal for the entire year is $1.16 billion, half of which has been received.