Fighting forces 18,500 to flee Mogadishu

Fighting between insurgents and Somali government forces backed by Ethiopian troops and AU peacekeepers has sparked another exodus of civilians from Mogadishu, a local human rights group said.

“From 20 September, our figures show that 18,500 people have fled their homes due to the fighting and shelling,” Ali Sheikh Yassin, acting chairman of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Organisation, told IRIN.

The displacement, he added, was fuelled by continued shelling in the city in fighting that has been described as the worst in recent months.

[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=80643]