Somalia: AU troops under attack

MOGADISHU – Gunmen attacked an Ethiopian army camp in the Somali capital, triggering clashes that killed one person and wounded five others as near-daily attacks convulse Mogadishu, residents said yesterday.

The overnight clashes at the former defence ministry headquarters come as African Union peacekeepers prepare to start patrolling the seaside capital. “A 14-year-old boy was killed when a bullet penetrated his bedroom wall in Gupta neighbourhood,” in southern Mogadishu, said Liban Haji Muhamoud, a resident.”Three people were treated at a pharmacy and two others in a nearby clinic,” added Mohamed Harale, another resident.”The shoot-out began late at night when gunmen attacked the Ethiopian camp with machine guns and the Ethiopians responded with heavy fire,” said Harale.He said the slain teenager was among dozens who had returned to the volatile area in the past two days, after fleeing last month’s escalating violence.Residents said the situation was calm after the clashes that came hours after the weak interim government vowed to crack down on illegal arms, blamed for the violence in Mogadishu.”The area is calm this morning.I hope peace prevails in the coming hours,” said Amina Daud, a mother of six.”Even if the situation is tense, we are still sending our children to school.”Mogadishu has been a theatre of pitched artillery duels since January when joint Ethiopian-Somali forces ousted a powerful Islamist movement from the country’s southern and central regions.Dozens of civilians have been killed in the recent weeks, as a vortex of deadly violence has engulfed the capital.Nampa-AFP”A 14-year-old boy was killed when a bullet penetrated his bedroom wall in Gupta neighbourhood,” in southern Mogadishu, said Liban Haji Muhamoud, a resident.”Three people were treated at a pharmacy and two others in a nearby clinic,” added Mohamed Harale, another resident.”The shoot-out began late at night when gunmen attacked the Ethiopian camp with machine guns and the Ethiopians responded with heavy fire,” said Harale.He said the slain teenager was among dozens who had returned to the volatile area in the past two days, after fleeing last month’s escalating violence.Residents said the situation was calm after the clashes that came hours after the weak interim government vowed to crack down on illegal arms, blamed for the violence in Mogadishu.”The area is calm this morning.I hope peace prevails in the coming hours,” said Amina Daud, a mother of six.”Even if the situation is tense, we are still sending our children to school.”Mogadishu has been a theatre of pitched artillery duels since January when joint Ethiopian-Somali forces ousted a powerful Islamist movement from the country’s southern and central regions.Dozens of civilians have been killed in the recent weeks, as a vortex of deadly violence has engulfed the capital.Nampa-AFP