Fighters take over Somali port

2008-11-12 14:17

Mogadishu - Somalia's Islamist Shebab fighters on Wednesday took control of the port of Merka, south of Mogadishu, after pro-government militants fled, residents said.

They said the insurgents had camped in the outskirts of the town overnight, preventing any reinforcement, before they stormed it.

"Heavily-armed Shebab fighters have taken over Merka town," said Mohamed Abdulkadir Yassin, a retired police officer who lives in the town.

"Hundreds of them have entered the town and taken control of police stations and other key positions. They are armed with heavy machine guns and RPGs (Rocket Propelled Grenades)," said Ibrahim Abdalla Ali, a resident.

"They are in brown uniform and have big trucks. Some of them have been asking people to calm down," he added.

The Islamists took over the township, 100km from Mogadishu, after pro-government militants fled overnight.

"Our commander ordered us to leave the town in order to avoid a gunfight," said Hussein Yusuf Maalim, a fighter with the militia that fled the town.

"They (Shebab fighters) are gaining power now and we do not have much power to defend the town."

The World Food Programme (WFP) and several humanitarian agencies have been using Merka, the capital of Lower Shabelle region, as a hub to distribute humanitarian relief to populations in southern Somalia.

Islamist fighters have been regaining control of many areas they lost to the transitional government after they were ousted by Ethiopia-backed Somali troops early 2007.

Somalia, a nation of around 10 million people, has lacked an effective government since the 1991 ouster of president Mohamed Siad Barre touched off a bloody power struggle that has defied numerous attempts to restore stability.

- AFP