APRNEWS - Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo” arrived in Ethiopia on Monday (March 5) on an official visit.

He was received at the Bole International Airport by hist host Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Both leaders are expected to hold talks on bilateral and regional issues.

APRNEWS - At least nine people were killed and several wounded when a car loaded with explosives blew up near a mall in a busy market in the Somali capital on Monday, police said.

"The blast occurred close to Mogadishu mall and it has caused death and destruction. Nine civilians were confirmed dead and several others are wounded," police officer Ahmed Moalin Ali said.

Suspected pirates boarded a Sri Lankan-flagged tanker and forced its crew to change course towards the northeastern Somali coast, an expert on piracy in Somalia said Tuesday.

If the hijackers' identity is confirmed, the attack would be the first by Somali pirates on a commercial ship since 2012.