Tusindvis af internt fordrevne i Somalias centrale by Beletweyne er igen i bevægelse efter 10 dage i kampe mellem rivaliserende islamiske militser samt rapporter om fortsat tung beskydning i dele af byen. Ifølge nyhedsbureauet IRIN-News er mindst 30 mennesker blevet dræbt og 50 såret, heraf flest civile.
According to a humanitarian bulletin covering 8-15 January by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA Somalia), at least 30 people have been killed and 50 injured, mostly civilians, with many artillery shells landing on residential areas. OCHA could not confirm the number of displaced.
The clashes, which have prevented people accessing basic goods and services, pit Hisbul Islam, a group backed by Al-Shabab, against Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a, another Islamist group. Al-Shabab, which is opposed to the Transitional Federal Government, controls large areas of southern and central Somalia.
“Heavy shelling by the warring factions has covered over 2 sqkm of the town’s central area where most business premises – hotels and restaurants, hospitals and electricity generators – are located,” a journalist, who requested anonymity, told IRIN. “Communication has also been affected as two main bridges in the town have been blocked by the fighters.”
OCHA said a mortar shell hit the main hospital in Beletweyne, injuring two medical workers, on 12 January.
Læs videre hos IRIN News (link nedenfor)
