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| Africa Horn |
| Somali festivities kill 21, wound 42 |
| 2010-07-02 |
| At least 21 people were killed and 42 wounded in fighting in Somalia, a human rights group said on Thursday. Fighting between clans left 14 people dead and 24 injured in the village of Huldonyale in central Somalia, the Mogadishu-based Elman rights group said. Government troops alongside African Union peacekeepers exchanged shells in Mogadishu with al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels, who are waging an Islamist insurgency against the Western-backed government. Seven people were killed and 18 wounded. The clan fighting was believed to be a continuation of clashes over pasture and water. "This clash has been recurring for months. It seems there is no sign of a ceasefire agreement between these two neighbouring clans," Ali Yasin Gedi, the vice chairman of Elman, told Reuters. Somalia has had no effective central government for 19 years and has become a safe haven for Islamist militants and clan fighters. More than 21,000 people have been killed in the violence since the start of 2007 and 1.5 million forced from their homes. |
| Posted by:Fred |