Monday April 02, 2007
Geneva (AFP) - About 10 000 people have fled the fierce fighting in the Somali capital Mogadishu over the past three days alone, the United Nations refugee agency said on Sunday.
The latest figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees brought the total of displaced people to nearly 100 000.
Up to 56 000 people fled the city in March, most of them since March 21, when the first major clashes erupted between Ethiopian troops backing Somalia's provisional government and Islamist fighters.
An estimated 40 000 people had already fled Mogadishu in February, UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler said.
"The exodus from the Somali capital continues and the figure is expected to rise as people living close to the conflict area are abandoning their homes due to mortar shells and fears that the fighting will spread," he said.
People fleeing the fighting had moved out to the neighbouring regions of Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle, Hiraan, Bay, Galagadud and Mudug, said Spindler.
The fourth straight day of heavy fighting Sunday left a trail of devastation in the Somali capital as Ugandan peacekeepers reported their first death and clan elders called for a ceasefire.
Source: AFP, Apr 02, 2007