Inter-clan clashes kill 14 in Somalia
MOGADISHU (AFP) — At least 14 Somalis were killed in inter-clan clashes sparked by land ownership disputes, witnesses said Friday.
Fighting broke out late Thursday near Kismayo, a port town located some 500 kilometres (310 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, between the Huber and Shekal clans.
"The fighting left around 14 people dead. Many of them are combatants and some of them are civilians caught in cross-fire," said Haji Adan Moalim Shure, an elder in Kismaio.
Another elder, Hassan Farah. said they secured a ceasefire which was soon violated by reprisal attacks from one clan.
Inter-clan fighting is common in the lawless Horn of Africa nation over access to land, pasture and water.
Separately in Mogadishu, gunmen killed three civilians, two of whom were assisting displaced people in camps near the capital, late Thursday, witnesses said.
"They were not involved in anything wrong. We don't know why they were targeted," said Abdulahi Herri Nur, an elder.
Twelve aid workers have been killed so far this year in Somalia, where attacks on humanitarian officials have been on the rise in recent weeks.
World Food Programme country director for Somalia Peter Goossens told a news conference in London that Somalia "is at a dire crossroads" and residents risked all-out famine if the attacks continue.
The shattered African nation has been wracked by violence since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre led to a bloody power struggle that has defied numerous bids to restore normalcy.
