400 killed in Somalia fighting

Fierce fighting in Somalia’s battle-scarred capital between Ethiopian-backed government forces and Islamic insurgents has left nearly 400 people dead, most of them civilians.

Almost 600 people have also been wounded during four days of heavy fighting that saw Ethiopian troops with tanks and attack helicopters launch an offensive to crush insurgents linked to an Islamic group driven from power in December, a local rights group said.

The casualty figures were the first to be released after the worst fighting seen in Mogadishu for more than 15 years and the death toll could be higher, said Sudan Ali Ahmed, chairman of the decade-old Elman Human Rights Organisation.

They were calculated from hospital figures, local resident groups and burials, but did not include Ethiopian soldiers who may have been killed, he said.

Yesterday was marked by a lull in attacks, allowing thousands of people to flee from Mogadishu.

On foot, using donkey carts, cars and trucks, Somalis poured out of the ruined coastal city, joining the exodus of 47,000 people – mainly women and children - who have sought safety in the past 10 days, according to the UN refugee agency.

Since February, almost 100,000 people have fled the violence. Behind them Somalia’s transitional government warned of new attacks to crush the insurgents.

The UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Somalia said the fighting has hindered aid agencies from responding adequately.

“Trapped by the fighting, many wounded are unable to access medical facilities and lie unattended in the streets,” the statement said.

Militants have long rejected any secular government and have sworn to fight until Somalia becomes an Islamic emirate.

The country has been in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned ON each other. A national government was established in 2004, but has failed to assert any real control.