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Inhabitants in the Somali Capital Flee As Violence Increases

Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
NEWS
February 14, 2007
Posted to the web February 14, 2007

By Aweys Osman Yusuf
Mogadishu
A large number of Mogadishu inhabitants have been fleeing the capital in the
past couple days after mysterious gunmen waged routine  mortar attacks against
the Ethiopian and Somali government military positions in the capital,
Mogadishu.
At least 10 families are reported to have reached the coast town of Merca, 100
km south of the capital. The families said they could not put up with the
barrage of artillery and mortar fires exchanged by the Ethiopian-backed
government forces and unknown gunmen. Mogadishu residents blame the government
and Ethiopian troops for firing mortars back when they are targeted.
Despite no mortars launched in Mogadishu last night, a large number of people,
among them women and children, could be seen fleeing Mogadishu on Wednesday
morning to other provinces in the country.
The mortar attacks in the Somali capital Mogadishu has also sparked a slow
migration as more than six compounds that housed several hundreds of internally
displaced persons began leaving their impoverished shelters in fear of the
deadly mortar and rocket attacks carried out by unknown gunmen.
Most of these refugees are going back to the provinces they are from in
southern and central Somalia where repeated droughts and wars forced them to
leave in early 1990s.
Former Digfer hospital in south of Mogadishu has entirely been vacated as the
Ethiopian troops made their military base in Digfer, which is currently a
refugee compound.
Fadumo Ali, a refugee mother of five children, told Shabelle Tuesday that she
and her family were fleeing to Baidoa, 245 km south of Mogadishu.
"Ethiopian troops have occupied the compound and they will be targeted. There
is no doubt that we will be victims between the attackers and these troops,"
she said.


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