New Fighting In Somalia Forces 7,000 People Out Of Capital City, Kills Dozens

Geneva, Switzerland, 25 April 2008 - A new round of violent clashes between government troops and insurgents in Mogadishu, Somalia, this week has killed dozens of civilians, wounded 200 people and displaced 7,000 people, according to United Nations officials.

In a press conference Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said residential areas have been shelled during fighting between troops of the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government and rebels.

UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said worshippers in a mosque were among those killed in the fighting.

There was a lull in the fighting on Thursday but the UN agency said people continue to flee the capital to reach Afgooye, a town already sheltering 250,000 refugees who fled Mogadishu last year.

The UNHCR and international aid agencies have difficulty in helping civilians because of the fighting and because aid workers are prevented from passing checkpoints without paying money to proceed. But the agencies will resume relief works when the security situation improves.

Source: AHN