Human rights group in Somalia had said on Thursday that the casualties of the street fighting between government forces backed by AU peacekeepers and the insurgents in Mogadishu has fell out in the year of 2009.
A Mogadishu based Human Rights group of Elman said more than 1700 people, mostly civilians, were killed the fighting in the Capital in the last year of 2009.
Yassin Sheikh Ahmed, the Chairman of Elman Peace and Human Rights in Mogadishu told that 1739 civilians were killed in Somalia this year only while another 7574 people were killed in 2008. In 2007, another 8636 people were dead in the fighting.
“The death is fallen off according to what happened in 2008 and 2007”, Ahmed said.
He added that there is not seen a serious face to face fighting in Mogadishu in the last year of 2009 except an exchange of the shelling in base forces.
“In this year, clashes were only hit and run”, the chairman of Elman Peace and Human Rights said.
The Group said that most of casualties were caused by exchange shelling mortars in the capital. The group also announced that 4,911 civilians were wounded in the shelling and gun battle in the capital in 2009 and the dead people including children, women and old people.
The ongoing fighting in Mogadishu also displaced more than 3,500 people who are now living in a new city of Elasha Biyaha, west of the capital.
On Friday, first day of the new year of 2010 three people wounded after clashes between government forces backed by AU peacekeepers and the insurgent group in Mogadishu.
The report comes as four people were killed and 10 others were wounded in fighting between government forces backed by AU peacekeepers and the rebel group.
Somalia has not had an effective government since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
BY: Muhyadin Ahmed Roble
Freelance Journalist
Nairobi – Kenya
Email: muhudin01@gmail.com
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