4 killed in inter-clan clashes
2008-07-18 19:09
Mogadishu - At least 14 Somalis were killed in inter-clan clashes sparked by land ownership disputes, witnesses said on Friday.
Fighting broke out late on Thursday near Kismayo, a port town located some 500km 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.
- AFP