Somali battles leave 20 dead
The Somali capital reverberated with gunfire today as a battle between two clans armed with anti-aircraft weapons and mortars left at least 20 people dead and another 70 wounded in three days, doctors said.
Most of the casualties were civilians caught in the cross-fire, doctors at three Mogadishu clinics said.
The fighting erupted in southern Mogadishu between gunmen loyal to businessman Bashir Ragae and guards employed at the Hotel Global, witnesses said.
The fighting quickly spread across the city as both sides called for reinforcements, including pickup trucks mounted with anti-aircraft weapons and mortars.
Militiamen loyal to two south Mogadishu warlords joined the fighting, turning the small-scale fight into a battle between two clans.
Clan elders and human rights advocates have called for a ceasefire and negotiations.
The Horn of Africa nation has not had an effective central government since the 1991 ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, and much of the country’s infrastructure has been destroyed by a decade of banditry and clan-based fighting.
