Friday, March 23, 2007
 |
|
Mission chief Levi Karuhanga |
“We are starting our patrols any time from now”, the spokesman for the AU peacekeeping operation, Capt. Paddy Ankunda, told New Vision by telephone.
“We will start with the most dangerous area, the junction at K4, which has seen almost daily attacks. We want to secure the place and put up a detachment there.”
Heavy fighting broke out for a third day in Mogadishu between insurgents and Ethiopian troops supporting the interim government.
advertisements
Ethiopian tanks were heard firing near a government base at the former defence headquarters. "The fighting has just started in the Siad Barre military academy with the government and Ethiopians on one side, and the insurgents on the other," a witness told Reuters.
At least 24 people died and hundreds were wounded in three days of clashes. But residents say the fatality figures could be much higher since much of the battle zone is inaccessible. On Wednesday, angry residents dragged and burned soldiers in the Mogadishu streets.
The government has vowed to keep fighting until it defeats the insurgents, who have also vowed to pursue their attacks.
The latest fighting was sparked by a government crackdown on the insurgents, many of whom are believed to be Islamists, driven out with the help of Ethiopian forces last December.
But others believe the violence was prompted by a widespread resistance to a government-led disarmament drive.
The United Nations have called for an immediate halt to the fighting.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Eric Laroche told "all combatants, whether in uniform or not, to desist from further acts of aggression and to respect civilian life."
"This is a tragic situation Tens of thousands of people are fleeing Mogadishu and civilian casualties are mounting daily," Laroche said in a statement released in Nairobi.
He called the dragging of bodies through the streets ‘barbaric’.
“This is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, and these kinds of acts must cease immediately.”
“The neutral and impartial humanitarian response desperately required can only take place if there is unimpeded access," Laroche added.
On Tuesday, a UN convoy heading to Mogadishu was attacked when gunmen set off a roadside bomb and then opened fire, wounding three policemen. The two UN staff on board escaped unharmed.
The escalating violence has forced humanitarian organisations to flee the country, leaving millions on the edge of destitution.
Source: New Vision, Mar 23, 2007