Somalia's hopes for peace fade

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Clutching a handful of possessions, Yonis Nor fled the Somali capital with his eight children and hundreds of other families, seeking safety from the daily onslaught of mortar and rocket attacks that have left dozens dead.

Somali government forces and Ethiopian troops exchanged heavy fire overnight with insurgents, leaving 15 dead and another 45 injured in the heaviest fighting so far this year in Mogadishu.

Among those killed in the clashes on Tuesday were a four-year-old boy and a pregnant woman. A 12-year-old girl lost both her legs in a blast, doctors said.

During a lull in Tuesday's fighting, families began fleeing Mogadishu in cars or on foot, while pulling carts heaped with mattresses, water containers and plastic sheeting.

"We cannot keep our children in this violent situation," said Yonis, 40. "I am scared."

Insurgents have staged near-daily attacks, with Mogadishu's civilian population bearing the brunt.

In the last three weeks, 51 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded. Ethiopian troops, largely seen as an occupying Christian force, have been accused of indiscriminate attacks against civilian-populated areas. Ethiopia and Somalia have also fought two wars, the last in 1977, when the Somali army suffered a catastrophic defeat.

Doctors are 'overwhelmed'

Doctors say the fighting has overwhelmed them. "We are struggling to cope," Medina Hospital Dr Dahir Mohamed said, as the wounded were being moved to corridors because there were no beds for them. "If the violence continues we will run out of medicines."

Hopes were fading fast that the interim administration would be able to quell the unrest, with growing calls for a broad-based, new government supported by all segments of society. A new government crackdown against local media has also fuelled resentment and mistrust.

Three Ethiopian and Somali government barracks and the presidential palace and seaport were targeted in the overnight attacks, before Ethiopian troops returned fire.

Deputy defence minister Salad Ali Jelle told the AP that one government soldier was killed in the latest attack, and said Islamic extremists allied to the ousted group were targeting civilians.

"They came up with strategies in which they pay a $100 to everyone who attacks Ethiopians and government troops," he said by telephone.

On Monday, a Somali government anti-terror unit trained by Ethiopian troops went into operation to quell the growing unrest.

Source: AP, Feb 21, 2007