Fierce fighting raged in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia on April 22, for the fifth straight day claiming the lives of at least 42 people, while dead bodies littered the streets of the city.
“We can see Ethiopian tanks firing artillery and mortar shells towards civilian areas,” Abdulkarim Ali, a resident of southern Mogadishu’s Gupta area, was reported as saying. “They are firing indiscriminately and the mortars are landing everywhere.”
The non-stopped fighting left many people trapped in their houses. “The fighting is going on heavily in this area,” said Mukhtar Mohamed, a resident of Fagah in northern Mogadishu. “Both sides are using machine guns and anti-aircraft guns and many people are trapped in their houses.”
He added that casualties were apparently increasing and people were fleeing. “May Allah save us because He is the only one who knows when this fighting will end.”
Fighting flared up on April 18, claiming the lives of at least 210 civilians and wounding hundreds others, Sudan Ali Ahmed, head of Elman Peace and Human Rights Organization, a local group that tracks casualty figures, said.
But residents insist the toll could be much higher as many battlefields are still inaccessible. “Bodies are lying rotting in areas we cannot access,” said Ahmed, citing his teams on the ground. “We are appealing to both sides to stop the fighting. This is unacceptable the civilians are bearing the brunt.”
Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia late last year to overthrow the Islamic Courts Union, which managed to restore order and stability in war-battered Somalia, in favour of the weak, West-backed interim government.
Somali Deputy Premier Hussein Aidid, Islamic Courts leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and sacked parliament speaker Sharif Hassan on April 18 announced the formation of a joint national front against the Ethiopian occupation forces. Independent analysts believe that any Ethiopian presence in Somalia was sure to provoke a response from the general population. Somalis traditionally view the military giant across their border as a rival. Several times, from 1992 to 1998, Christian Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia to attack Islamic movements.