Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Thousands of Somalis flee fighting in Mogadishu

More than 43 000 civilians have fled fierce fighting between insurgents and government forces in the Somali capital Mogadishu over the past 12 days, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday.

Civilians have been caught in the crossfire as the warring parties battle with mortars and automatic weapons in the north of the city. About 200 have died and more than 500 have been injured since the latest battles began.

The streets of north Mogadishu are empty, witnesses say, save for Islamist insurgents taking up positions to attack embattled pro-government militias.

Source: Mail & Guardian

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