Chaos in Somalia as Fighting Intensifies and Death Toll Rises

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

Source: New York Times

Government forces and insurgents in Somalia blasted each other for a fifth straight day on Sunday, killing scores of civilians and plunging the country deeper into chaos.

United Nations officials say Somalia, which has gone 16 years without a central government, is headed toward its worst crisis ever. More than 320,000 people have fled Mogadishu, the capital, since heavy fighting erupted in February. Many are now trapped in wet, squalid camps ringing the capital, with relief efforts severely hampered by the increasingly dangerous conditions.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/world/africa/23somalia.html

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Things are getting really really bad here. We can't afford to ignore this deteriorating situation. Africa has had too many tragedies.

[Kagemusha]

1. We kinda created that situation. I can't really call it ignoring

The US wants the insurgents there to be fought and kept under control and that's what's going on. To that extent it's a feature, not a bug. Yeah, looked like the insurgents were crushed hard during the initial Ethiopian advance but, there you go, that's why they're insurgents to begin with.

[maddezmom]

2. Shelling rattles Somali capital for sixth day

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Heavy shelling shook the Somali capital Monday as Ethiopian forces battled Islamist insurgents for the sixth straight day.

After a night of sporadic fire, heavy explosions hit northern Mogadishu's districts, where rival sides exchanged machine gun fire, mortars and anti-aircraft artillery, residents said.

"I have seen Ethiopian tanks taking positions and heavily shelling insurgent positions," said Mukhtar Mohamed, a resident of Fagah in northern Mogadishu.

"The fighting is heavier the yesterday, the rivals are exchanging machine guns, mortar and anti-aircraft fire," he added.


more:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070423/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunrest_070423063309;_ylt=Alj4K89Y_aHLJSF.I5VynqOQOrgF

[maddezmom]

3. Fighting kills 37 in Somali capital 4 minutes ago

Fighting kills 37 in Somali capital 4 minutes ago



MOGADISHU (AFP) - Clashes between Ethiopian troops and Islamist insurgents on Monday killed at least 37 people and raised the death toll to 256 from six days of fighting, a rights group said.

"Of now we have 18 civilians killed and 21 wounded. We also have 19 opposition (insurgents) dead and 21 wounded," said Sudan Ali Ahmed, chairman of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Organisation which monitors casualty rates.

Mutilated bodies lay rotting in the streets under blistering sun as shooting barred residents from collecting them for burial, witnesses said.

"We have been asking both sides to stop fighting but our calls have landed on deaf ears. But we renew our appeal for the sake of innocent civilians," Ahmed said.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070423/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunresttoll_070423145948;_ylt=Al_i2ROQItabR1Bd_5K6iJmQOrgF

[Eugene]

4. (Tuesday) Shelling shakes Mogadishu for seventh day

Source: Agence France-Presse

Shelling shakes Mogadishu for seventh day

Tue Apr 24, 3:49 AM ET

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Heavy shelling and tank fire shook the
Somali capital for a seventh day Tuesday as Ethiopian troops
stepped up their campaign to drive out Islamist insurgents
and clan fighters.

After a night of sporadic gunfire, Ethiopian tanks pounded
positions in northern and southern Mogadishu in a bid to
weaken the insurgent fighters, whose grip on the capital has
prevented the Somali interim government from functioning.

-snip-

Mutilated bodies on Tuesday lay rotting in the streets in
northern Mogadishu, with heavy fighting blocking access to
aid workers.

At least 256 people have died and hundreds have been
wounded since the latest peak in fighting began last week,
according to the Elman Peace and Human Rights Organisation,
which monitors casualty rates.

Hospitals have been overwhelmed, with doctors appealing for
extra medical supplies.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070424/ts_afp/somaliaunrest_070424074436

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Source: Reuters

Suicide bomber targets Ethiopian troops in Somalia
24 Apr 2007 12:16:06 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Adds details, background)

MOGADISHU, April 24 (Reuters) - An attacker detonated a suicide
car bomb on Tuesday at an Ethiopian military base near the Somali
capital Mogadishu, witnesses said, but it was not immediately
clear if there were any other casualties.

"I saw the Ethiopian soldiers shouting at this car to stop, then
it exploded," said Abdi Hassan, a local resident who was at the
former ranch in Afgooye, 30 km (19 miles) west of Mogadishu.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24208648.htm