5 killed in Somalia violence
2006-01-16 11:57
Mogadishu - At least five people were killed and 12 wounded in fierce weekend fighting in the southern Somali town of Kismayo in an apparent power struggle between members of the ruling Juba Valley Alliance (JVA) militia, said witnesses on Monday.
Contacted by radio from Mogadishu, residents of Kismayo, the capital of the lawless country's Lower Juba region, said the clashes erupted late on Saturday between gunmen loyal to JVA commander Barre Aden Shire "Hirale" and one his top officers, Abdi Egal.
"Five people are dead and 12 others have been wounded," said Ahmed Ibrahim, a Kismayo resident who witnessed the fighting.
The fighting erupted late on Saturday and continued overnight with residents reporting hearing heavy gunfire, he and other witnesses said, adding that there were unconfirmed reports of 11 people being killed.
Residents said telephone communication with the town had been shut down by the JVA.
"All telephone services to Kismayo were closed by the orders of JVA," said Mohamed Abdulkadir, a Mogadishu merchant who was in the town on business.
Somalia has been wracked by chronic unrest with warlords and rival militias fighting for control of unruly fiefdoms that sprung up after the 1991 ouster of strongman Mohamed Siad Barre.
Since then, the country has had no functioning central government and numerous efforts to create a viable new administration have failed.
- SAPA