AFRICA/SOMALIA - Crisis in Mogadishu continues to worsen

Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) - Every day, the situation worsens in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital city where fighting between military soldiers of the transitional government, supported by Ethiopian troops, and Islamic militants continues to spread death and destruction. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 7,000 people have fled from their homes in recent days due to the increase in violence. The international humanitarian agencies, among whom is UNHCR, are now having to face serious security problems that impede them in reaching the victims of the fighting, in order to provide them with protection and the necessary attention. The humanitarian aid workers are continually running into obstacles and difficulties in road blockings where they often demand a payment in order to pass. It is a tragic situation that was echoed in the Holy Father’s words at the Regina Caeli on Sunday, April 27: “In Somalia, especially in Mogadishu, bitter armed conflicts are worsening the humanitarian crisis of this dear people, which for too many years has been oppressed by brutality and misery,” he said.
Eyewitnesses have told the UNHCR that over 1,000 families have fled two neighborhoods in north Mogadishu due to heavy attacks that are taking place in the area from fighting between the Transitional Federal Government, supported by Ethiopian troops, and other militia groups, thus inflicting serious consequences on civilians. According to these sources, in recent days there have been dozens of civilian deaths and injuries. Among these was a group of faithful that were brutally murdered inside a Mosque, an event which has caused panic among the people and caused another mass exodus from the city. Many of those who are fleeing Mogadishu have taken refuge on the city’s outskirts or on the highway that leads to the small town of Afgooye, 30 kilometers to the west of the capital city, where there are already over 250,000 refugees living in precarious conditions. The majority of these people left Mogadishu in 2007, due to conflicts. The UNHCR humanitarian workers who are present in the area say that yesterday the fighting had diminished somewhat, having ended in some parts of the city. However, many people continue to flee the capital however they can, although the number has declined in comparison to previous days.
Somalia has been without government since 1991, when President Siad Barre was overthrown by a rebel group. A state of anarchy was established, lasting until the present moment. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 29/4/2008; righe 32, parole 403)