Somalia: High death toll from Mogadishu to Baidoa
The 'count' began today in Mogadishu of
the dead and injured in yesterday's violence. Local MISNA sources refer
that the fighting in the airport area left 12 people dead, especially civilians
who were caught in the crossfire of insurgents and forces of the African
Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM); other sources instead give higher tolls
of 23 dead and double the amount wounded. Our MISNA sources refer that
there is relative calm this morning in the Somali capital and no fighting
is underway: residents are taking advantage to leave their homes, avoiding
the areas presided by soldiers, particularly Ethiopian that for some time
have been shooting on sight and without warning at anyone moving near their
posts. A higher toll emerges from Baidoa, where the local press reports
that at least 41 people were killed in clashes between Ethiopian soldiers
and insurgents. The victims include 11 civilians, 10 Somali soldiers and
20 Ethiopian soldiers; the number of wounded is unknown. Clashes and violence
were reported also in other zones of the country, in particular in a small
town in the East Province, a few kilometres from the border with Kenya,
where clashes between rival clans left five dead.
[BO]