Violence flares in Mogadishu
2006-04-01 23:22
Mogadishu - Somali fighters backed by powerful warlords attacked an Islamic court on Saturday, killing two civilians and fuelling fears of worse to come.
Residents in northern Mogadishu say they may arm themselves.
They fear Saturday's attacks will ignite the kind of battles that killed scores of people last week.
Talks between Islamist militia and gunmen linked to an alliance of the capital's most prominent warlords - who dub themselves the "Anti-terrorism Coalition" - collapsed on Wednesday.
This is despite efforts by religious leaders and elders to broker a ceasefire.
Abdullahi Ahmed, who witnessed Saturday's violence, said: "Some militia supported by the coalition attacked an Islamic court this afternoon.
"A man and a woman were killed in the fighting. Another man was injured. The victims were all ordinary people."
The attack, in one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in Mogadishu, took place in an area controlled by Somali trade minister Muse Sudi, himself a warlord and coalition member.
Many in Somalia suspect the United States has backed the warlord coalition as part of Washington's war on terrorism.
The charge has offered Islamist groups, notably the Islamic courts that have brought order to some parts of Mogadishu by imposing sharia law, another rallying cry against warlords also vying for control of the seaside city.
- Reuters