Thursday, April 24, 2008
advertisements
Cairo, Egypt (Xinhua) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Thursday called on conflicting parties in Somalia to exercise self-restraint, avoid endangering the lives of innocent civilians and respect properties. In a statement, Abul Gheit expressed his country's deep concern about the escalating security tension and armed conflicts in Somalia which claimed lives of dozens of innocent people and left hundreds of civilians homeless over the past few days.
The Egyptian top diplomat also urged the Somali parties to deal seriously with UN mediation efforts as the meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia was scheduled to take place in Norway late this month with the attendance of Egypt.
Violence occurred in the Somali capital of Mogadishu over the past weekend when scores of civilians were killed and some 200 reported wounded.
During the fighting, heavy artillery was used in residential areas, which was reportedly one of the reasons behind the high civilian casualties.
Somalia has been wracked by violence since the Ethiopian-backed Somali government forces ousted in 2006 an Islamist militia that had held much of the country. Fighting between the insurgents and pro-government forces has killed thousands of Somalis during the past 16 months.
Source: Xinhua, April 24, 2008