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Nine dead in fighting in Somalia

At least nine people have been killed after fighters fired mortar shells at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, residents have said.

Witnesses said that at least 10 people were hurt in the attack on Tuesday, which comes amid a surge in violence that has killed nearly 200 people in the city since the beginning of May.

"Mortar shells that were targeted at the palace killed nine civilians and injured 10 others around the former national theatre, behind the palace," Abdifatah Ismael, a resident of Mogadishu, told the Reuters news agency.

More than 60 people have died since Friday, when government forces launched attacks on positions held by opposition fighters in the capital.

Tens of thousands displaced

Thousands of people have fled the Madina district of Mogadishu after government troops and opposition fighters entered the area.

"The residents started fleeing and those remaining are in fear now," Saci Sacdiya Hassan, a resident of the district, told Reuters.

The number of Somalis fleeing the latest escalation of fighting in and around Mogadishu has surpassed 67,000 in recent weeks. Intense fighting between the government and opposition forces erupted in several north-west areas of Mogadishu on 8 May.

Most of displaced are heading towards the Afgooye corridor, south-west of Mogadishu, where a number of large makeshifts camps have mushroomed over the past two years. These sites already host an estimated 400,000 internally displaced people (IDPs).

Those displaced who are unable to make the 30-km journey have sought refuge in south-western parts of Mogadishu that have not yet been overrun by fighting.

The deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around Mogadishu. Local agencies that have been providing a lifeline to the IDPs are facing growing security problems as they try to help the needy.

In order to meet the most urgent needs for shelter and basic aid in this unfolding emergency, we are starting today the distribution of aid for some 50,000 people in Agfooye corridor through our local partners in Somalia. Today’s distribution will include cooking sets, plastic sheeting, blankets and mats.

Meanwhile, the number of Somali refugees fleeing to the neighbouring countries continues to rise.

Somalia is one of the world’s biggest refugee producing countries. UNHCR provides protection and assistance to some half a million Somali refugees in nearby countries, including Kenya (292,194), Yemen (142,394), Ethiopia (40,439), Uganda (8,889) Djibouti (8,741), Eritrea (4,636) and Tanzania (1,527). We are also coordinating protection and shelter activities for the 1.3 million displaced in Somalia (Reuters, AFP, Voice of America, QNA, Xinhua )

Global Arab Network‎‎

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