Somalia: Ethiopian Army Shelling Kills 15 Civilians in Mogadishu

Garowe, 5 December 2008

Ethiopian occupation troops in Somalia's capital Mogadishu responded with heavy firepower after an alleged  attack on army positions by Somali resistance fighters on Friday, Radio Garowe reported.

At least 15 civilians were killed and 20 others wounded at Mogadishu's main livestock market where "many shells" hit, according to witnesses.

"I saw five dead women at the market," said a witness who did not want his name in print.

The Ethiopian occupation army shells were preceded by a guerrilla attack staged by Somali resistance fighters, but locals said the actual fighting lasted for brief minutes.

The Ethiopia occupation army did not speak publicly about Friday's shelling of civilian areas. The Ethiopian occupation army has been accused of committing war crimes since invading Somalia two years ago.

The shelling comes on the heels of a controversial ceasefire agreement between the Somali interim government and an Somali opposition, although that ceasefire has been violated repeatedly by both sides of the conflict.

Somalia was plunged into chaos in 1991 when the country's last effective ruler, Gen. Siad Barre, was forced to flee Mogadishu by clan warlords.

The warlords divided Somalia into clan-based fiefdoms until Islamists rose to power in mid-2006, chasing away Mogadishu's destructive warlords.

Ethiopian-backed Somali government troops have been battling a Somali resistance movement for the past two years, with a local human rights group estimating that nearly 10,000 people have been killed so far.

Witnesses: Somalia fighting kills 12, wounds 20

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP, World News) —

December 6, 2008

Witnesses say mortar shells have rained down on homes and a small market in Somalia's capital, killing 12 people and wounding 20.

Local resident Abdi Wali says Friday's fighting started after an attack by Somali resistance fighters on an Ethiopian occupation forces military base. He says he saw 12 corpses after shells landed on the market and a residential area.

A doctor at Daynile Hospital says about 20 wounded people, including women and children, have been admitted there.

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a dictatorship and then turned on one another.

The transitional government, formed in 2004, relies on Ethiopian occupation troops for protection, but Somali resistance fighters have gained steady power and launch near-daily attacks.