Humanitarin Crisis in Somalia

Fighting escalates 'humanitarian crisis' in Somalia
AP-(April 27, 2007)

Battles with Islamist insurgents over six days have left hundreds dead as diplomatic peace efforts falter.

Violence between Islamist insurgents and forces supporting the Somalian government continued unabated in Mogadishu, Monday, as the fighting entered a sixth consecutive day. Hundreds of people have been killed and tens-of-thousands more remain trapped in the capital by what eyewitnesses say is the "worst fighting in 15 years."

The Associated Press reports that battles between Ethiopian troops and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) still rage in the Somali capital, as the two groups pound each other "with machine-gun fire, mortars, tank shells and heavy artillery."

The United Nations said the fighting had sparked the worst humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged country's recent history, with many of the city's residents trapped because roads out of Mogadishu were blocked.