Fighting between militias intensifies in Somali capital
Rival militias intensified fighting today in the Somali capital, with battles spread across Mogadishu and an unknown number of civilian casualties after a day’s lull.
The latest fighting could put to an end a May 14 ceasefire between Islamic militias and a rival alliance of secular warlords because witnesses say it has spread from northern Mogadishu, which has been the scene of fierce battles in recent weeks, to the southern and eastern parts of the capital.
Yesterday, the rival militiamen renewed fighting in northern Mogadishu for a few hours during which at six people were killed and another six seriously injured, witnesses and medical sources said.
More than 140 people – most non-combatants caught in the crossfire – were killed in eight days of fighting in Mogadishu earlier this month between Islamic militias and a rival alliance of secular warlords.
Witnesses said that Islamic militiamen had taken over a key hotel in the capital Mogadishu, the Sahafi Hotel, which is owned by a member of their rival Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-terrorism.
