MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) Islamic militiamen and their secular rivals battled Wednesday for control of Somalia’s capital despite promises of a cease-fire, bringing the death toll from three days of fighting to at least 90.

The sounds of heavy weapons echoed through the city, but the fighting was not as intense as it has been over the previous three days. The battle between gunmen loyal to Mogadishu’s Islamic courts and secular militiamen has centered on the northern neighborhood of Sii-Sii, with neither side gaining an advantage.

Francois Lonseny Fall, the U.N. secretary general’s special representative for Somalia, appealed for “leaders on both sides to step back from the brink and reconsider the damage they are inflicting on the population.”

“Whatever the allegiances, the intermittent conflict between heavily armed camps has resulted in indiscriminate loss of life and has created fear and chaos for those civilians trapped in the crossfire,” he said. “The indiscriminate use of heavy machine guns, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and artillery in and between urban areas is unacceptable.”

At least 90 people have been killed and nearly 200 wounded since fighting flared up in the capital Sunday, said Dr. Mohamed Hassan of Ayaan Hospital, citing reports from Mogadishu’s main hospitals.
usatoday.com

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