The president of Somalia's Olympic committee and the head of the country's soccer federation are among the 10 victims of a recent suicide blast at Mogadishu's newly reopened national theater, on Wednesday April 4^th . The Prime Minister told the BBC that the attacker was a woman, and according to eyewitnesses the blast came in the middle of a musical performance. At the same time, Arab news channel Al-Jazeera reported that explosives were detonated by a suspected female suicide bomber at the ceremony.

Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu's ambulance service, said at least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded, including the country's national planning minister. Policeman Abdimalik Hassan said government officials and other dignitaries attended the ceremony.

The terror attack came despite the reopening of the theater on March 19 had been hailed as a sign of improving security in the war-ravaged Horn of Africa country. Al-Shabab, the regional terror group affiliated to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab militants who had controlled large parts of the country, including Mogadishu, were pushed out of the city by troops from the African Union last year.

Since then, there has been a period of relative quiet, with sporting activity resuming, restaurants opening, and the re-opening of the National Theatre.