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| Africa Horn |
| New violence aggravates disaster in Somalia |
| 2009-05-15 |
| A fresh wave of fighting between feuding sides has left more than thirty people dead in Somalia's Hiiran region and the northern part of the capital Mogadishu. Forces loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) clashed with al-Shabaab fighters on Thursday when the anti-government gunmen moved to take control of Beledweyne town in the Hiiran region, Press TV has learned. The heavy exchanges of gunfire between the two sides left at least a dozen people killed and more than 30 injured. Meanwhile, the sound of repeated mortar fire and exploding shells has persuaded hundreds of people in the area to leave their homes in search of a safe zone. UIC officials claim they have killed more than 51 al-Shabaab fighters and injured some 40 others, but the figure cannot be independently confirmed. Elsewhere, some 40 soldiers and gunmen died when heavy fighting broke out between al-Shabaab fighters and government troops between the Sanca and Afarta Darjino districts in the north of Mogadishu. The hours-long fighting also left 80 civilians wounded and the ensuing exchanges of mortar fire caused serious damage to residential areas near the conflict zone. Schools and businesses remain closed in northern Mogadishu, where eight days of bloody conflict between armed rebels and soldiers loyal to President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed have claimed more than 230 lives. The clashes come as part of a push by the transitional government in Somalia to take control of a number of streets and buildings in Mogadishu. Local fighters in capital have been deployed around the presidential office with their leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, calling on the president to step down. Since assuming control of the country's affairs, the president has embraced diplomacy and believes he can bring fighting factions together and establish calm. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #2 Actually, Whiskey Mike, Somalia was a prosperous colony under the Italians. That ended with WWII. Since then, it's been more or less in a state of chaos as one dictator after another has tried to maintain control. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-05-15 16:57 |
| #1 Disaster is status quo in Somalia, and as far as I can tell it has been that way for all time. So this is normal, for Somalia. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2009-05-15 06:37 |