Somalia

Mogadishu suffers worst fighting in months

Article published on the 2008-04-21 Latest update 2008-04-22 09:58 TU

Clashes have caused numerous civilian casualties in Mogadishu.
(Photo : Reuters)

Residents of Mogadishu have fled the centre the Somali capital, as Islamic militias clashed with government forces over the weekend. The country has been hit by the worst fighting in two months and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for restraint as the weekend’s death toll rose.

The intense fighting has caused many people flee the central districts of Mogadishu for the suburbs and neighbouring towns, local NGOs reported.

 

One NGO even reported that 27 people were found beheaded, but this was impossible to confirm.

 

The death toll is difficult to estimate but was at least 56 on Monday according to the French press agency, AFP.

 

Mogadishu residents say that nine Islamic clerics were among the dead. They say that their bodies were found strewn in and around a mosque and claim that they were killed by Ethiopian soldiers over the weekend.

 

Ethiopian troops are aiding the Somali military in the fighting. They also fought in Somalia in late 2006, when militias had effectively taken control of large parts of the country.

Somalia has lacked central government control since President Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.

 

Also on Monday, a Spanish fishing boat was hijacked off the Somali coast by pirates in the second such incident in two weeks. The Spanish government called for help from the UN, the United States, and France, which resolved its own hijacking crisis last week.