Rights Group Says 31 Killed in Mogadishu Fighting
14 August 2007
A Somali human rights group says fighting in Mogadishu has killed at least 31 people over the past 24 hours.
The head of the Elman Human Rights Group, Sudan Ali Ahmed, says 60 others have been wounded as insurgents clash with Somali government troops and their Ethiopian allies.
The battles began Monday when the insurgents attacked several government and Ethiopian bases. Witnesses report hearing grenade explosions, mortar attacks, and heavy gunfire.
Mogadishu has endured almost daily violence since December, when fighters allied with Somalia's Islamic Courts Union lost control of the city to government and Ethiopian troops.
Thousands of people have died in the fighting, and tens of thousands more have fled the city for safer areas.
Somalia has not had an effective central government since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. An ongoing national reconciliation conference in Mogadishu has shown no sign of progress toward peace.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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