At least three dead in Somali port clash: witnesses
By Abdi Sheikh
MOGADISHU | Wed Jun 26, 2013 1:04pm EDT
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - At least three people were killed in a brief skirmish
between rival militias in southern Somalia, witnesses said, the second
deadly flare-up so far this month in the disputed strategic port of Kismayu.
The clash between the Ras Kamboni militia and Marehan clan fighters has
heightened tensions in a city already divided by rivals claiming the
presidency of Kismayu and the southern Jubaland region and raises worries of
a broader conflict.
Somalia has been slowly emerging from two decades of war that have left the
Horn of Africa nation in ruins, but Western governments and analysts say
renewed fighting between warlords or resurgent Islamists could swiftly
reverse the fragile gains.
Witnesses speaking to Reuters by telephone from the port said Ras Kamboni
fighters opened fire on a car used by members of the Marehan clan in central
Kismayu, where boundaries between rival factions have been drawn after the
last bout of fighting.
"Ras Kamboni militia near the hospital opened fire on another militia car
passing by at a junction," said one resident Jamac Hilowle. "I could see
three dead people."
The Ras Kamboni seized the car, the bodies of those killed and their
weapons, prompting a short-lived counter-attack by the Marehan that was
pushed back, said witnesses. Roads were deserted and businesses shut up
shop.
Earlier clashes on June 8 killed 18 people, said witnesses. Human Rights
Watch, citing U.N. figures, put the death toll at 31.
Kismayu was controlled by Islamist al Shabaab rebels until last September
when the militants fled an offensive by Kenyan troops supported by Ras
Kamboni, a militia group loyal to a former governor of Kismayu, Ahmed
Madobe.
A local assembly last month declared Madobe president of the southern
Jubaland region, handing him back control of Kismayu.
But Somalia's central government, which does not view Madobe favorably, said
his appointment was unconstitutional. Within days, three other men had
pronounced themselves president, including Barre Hirale, a pro-Mogadishu
former defense minister.
Despite the brief bouts of violence, fighting has so far failed to spread.
The Somali government in Mogadishu, which has struggled to extend its
influence beyond the capital, and regional players have all called for
dialogue to end fighting.
But analysts say the chance of serious conflict increases the longer the
stalemate over who rules the region continues.
(Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Richard Lough and Andrew Heavens)
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Received on Wed Jun 26 2013 - 18:01:08 EDT