Military

DATE=02/18/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-286595

TITLE=SOMALIA / FIGHTING (L ONLY)

BYLINE=MICHAEL DRUDGE

DATELINE=NAIROBI

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Heavy fighting has left at least 15 people dead in a disputed town in southern Somalia, prompting the United Nations to withdraw international staff from its regional headquarters. V-O-A's Michael Drudge has more from our East Africa bureau in Nairobi.

TEXT: Witnesses say rival militias fired guns and artillery in a fierce battle that lasted several hours Monday in the southern Somali town of Bardera.

The fighting occurred between the Ethiopia-backed Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council and the Juba Valley Alliance, which supports the transitional national government in the capital, Mogadishu.

It was the second battle in a week between the two factions in Bardera, and it has set off alarms about a deteriorating security situation.

The United Nations is evacuating scores of international staffers from Baidoa, the main town in the region located about 175 kilometers northeast of Bardera.

A U-N spokeswoman in Nairobi called the measure a "security precaution" and said there is no specific threat against U-N personnel. She said local staff would continue to provide services offered by U-N agencies in the drought-stricken region.

U-N agencies stationed in Baidoa include the World Food Program, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund.

The U-N is moving its people out via the Kenyan town of Mandera, on the border with Somalia. They will then proceed to Nairobi.

The U-N says it hopes the staffers can return as soon as possible because of the life-threatening diseases and food shortages facing hundreds of thousands of people in southern Somalia.

The evacuation comes just one week after the U-N's deputy director for emergency relief, Carolyn McAskie, visited Baidoa as part of a campaign to convince international donors to increase their support for Somalia.

During her visit, Ms. McAskie told V-O-A that the security of U-N staff is her biggest concern. She received pledges from local authorities and militia leaders she met that they would not interfere with U-N operations. (Signed).

NEB/MWD/KL/MEM