Thousands of Somalis demonstrated on Wednesday against those behind bombings that killed more than 300 people at the weekend, defying police who opened fire to keep them away from where their loved ones perished.
The twin blasts at busy junctions in the heart of Mogadishu on Saturday injured another more than 400 in what were the country's deadliest truck bombings.
Police initially opened fire to prevent people from accessing the rubble-strewn scene of the attack, injuring at least two people.
But eventually they had to let thousands of the demonstrators gather there after they were overwhelmed by the numbers. Residents said they had never seen such a big protest in the city.
"We are demonstrating against the terrorists that massacred our people. We entered the road by force," said Halima Abdullahi, a mother who lost six of her relatives in the attacks.
The Islamist militant group al Shabaab has not claimed responsibility, but the method and type of attack - a large truck bomb - is increasingly used by the al-Qaeda-linked organisation.
Mohamed Ali, a police captain at the scene, said it was fine for the demonstrators to access the scene to express their grief.
"For some who could not see their relatives alive or dead, the only chance they have is to at least see the spot where their beloved were killed," he said.
Masked security officers kept an eye on the protest on foot and on motorbikes. Some of the protesters sat on police trucks waving sticks and chanting: "We do not want al Shabaab".
Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Aamin Ambulances, said one pregnant demonstrator was evacuated from the Mogadishu protest after she developed complications.
"The other two were also demonstrating. They were injured by bullets which the police fired to disperse the demonstrators who wanted to enter the blast scene by force," he said.
Reuters
