Confrontations continue in Magadishu

Witnesses said that more than 17 persons were killed and other 25 wounded on Thursday in the Somali capital Magadishu during confrontations between warring militias and this resulted in increasing the number of killing to 46 since the beginning of the acts of violence on Monday.

A Somali doctor, preferred to be anonymous said that at least 11 members of the killed are members in the militias and the other six are civilians.

A witness, one of hundreds, who fled from Maino quarters fleeing violence, said that the conflicting sides used mortars shelling for the first time since the beginning of operations.

For his part, one official in one of the militias said that the confrontations started at the local level in the north of the capital before they were expanded so as other war lords who control Magadishu interfered.

He explained that a militias supporting the war lord Mousa Yalahwi are now fighting the militia supporting Bashir Raghi who is allied with Muhammad Omar Habib, and all attempts aiming to reach a truce so far have been doomed to failure.

Confrontations started on Monday when a row erupted between security forces for Global hotel and other gunmen near the hotel, situated to the north of Magadishu.

Somalia is lacking a recognized central government since the collapse of the regime of Muhammad Seyad berri in January 1991. Inter- Somali peace negotiations are being held in Kenya since October 2002 in an attempt to form an administration whose authority extends in all areas that fall under the control of the competing war lords.