Two Somali MPs, four others killed in Dhusamareb bomb attack

The incident occurred on Tuesday when a bomber blew up himself at a restaurant in Dhusamareb, where lawmakers were meeting with the public to discuss the setup of a regional administration.

“The explosion hit a hotel in the town and it killed several people, many others were also injured," said Mohamed Abudlahi Moalim, a senior commander with the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa militia, which controls the area.

Witnesses said the victims included two lawmakers and four civilians and that two other MPs were among the wounded.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The government-allied Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jamaa seized Dhusamareb, a strategic town in Galgaduud, from al-Shabab fighters during fierce battles in March.

Lawmakers are struggling to achieve an agreement on a "roadmap" signed by Somalia's feuding leaders for the formation of a government by August 20 to replace the weak transitional body in Mogadishu.

The deal required the lawmakers to agree on a system of government for Somalia's divided regional administrations.

The deal is opposed by al-Shabab, who have vowed to overthrow the Western-backed government in Mogadishu.

Somalia has been without an effective central government since it plunged into power struggle between armed groups after warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

The weak Western-backed transition government has been battling al-Shabab fighters for the past five years, and is propped up by a 12,000-strong African Union force from Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti.

Somalia is one of the countries generating the highest number of refugees and internally displaced people in the world.