Two UN staff were among dozens killed when suicide bombers struck in northern Somalia.
The compound of the United Nations Development Programme in Hargeisa, capital of the semi-autonomous enclave of Somaliland, were hit first in a series of five explosions, which killed at least 22 people and injured dozens more
Soon after, there were further explosions at the city's electoral commission offices, the presidential palace and the Ethiopian embassy, were there were reports of "catastrophic damage" and multiple casualties.
At the same time, two buildings used by the intelligence service - including its headquarters - in neighbouring Puntland were hit by either a suicide bomber or an improvised explosive device.
It was unclear who was behind the blasts, but they came as leaders of Somalia's Western-backed transitional government met regional heads of state for talks in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Islamist hardliners opposed to that government and its Ethiopian backers are running an Iraq-style insurgency in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Analysts suggested that the Hargeisa bombings could have been carried out to disrupt the Nairobi talks.
Somaliland and Puntland, both breakaway states in northern Somalia which are lobbying for recognition as independent nations, have been largely untouched by the violence sweeping southern Somalia.
However, Puntland has become increasingly dangerous for foreigners due to a wave of kidnappings. Many of the pirate groups targeting ships passing through the Gulf of Aden are also based there.
Among the victims in Somaliland was President Dahir Riyale Kahin's secretary who died in one of the blast, but the president was not hurt. Mr Kahin said in a radio broadcast that it was too early to tell who was behind the attacks.
A witness, Ismail Mohamed, 22, said people were screaming and begging for help after the blast at the presidential palace. "It was a horrendous scene. I had to leave to spare myself this ugliness. It is a woeful day," he said.
The UN confirmed that its compound was hit by a suicide car bomb. "There are known casualties as well as deaths, but the numbers are currently being verified," said Dawn Elizabeth Blalock, a UN spokesman. 
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