UN: Somali bombings undermine progress

Weekend attacks on Mogadishu are regrettable signs of a prevailing climate of insecurity and violence, a spokeswoman for the U.N. rights commission said. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates more than 50 civilians were killed in an attack on a courthouse in Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab, a Somali militant group affiliated with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack. Commission spokeswoman Cecile Pouilly said the attacks shouldn't supersede recent political and security gains made in Somali. "It is imperative that this terrorist attack does not succeed in intimidating and dismantling the administration of justice, which is essential to improve law and order," she said in a statement. Somalia last year made strides in solidifying the authority of the central government in Mogadishu. Somali Foreign Minister Fawzia Yusuf Adam said in March that political gains were grounds for hope, "but they are precarious and the road to full recovery will be long." An international meeting on Somalia is to convene in May in London.