Ten people died and 50 were injured in fighting between rival militia groups in the Somali capital Mogadishu, hosptial officials and witnesses said on Friday. Most of the victims were civilians, some wounded when their houses collapsed amid the heavy machine-gun fire employed by the warring sides, said Abdi Ibrahim Ahmed, a doctor at Meddina hospital. The clashes between militia loyal to warlord Muse Sudi Yalahow and his rival, Omar Filish, in the Meddina district of Mogadishu subsided late Thursday after two days of heavy fighting, according to witnesses. Mogadishu’s warlords signed an agreement last October during peace talks in neighbouring Kenya to stop fighting. The ceasefire has largely held until now although the armed factions maintained a significant presence in the city. But the talks on ending the 12-year-long war in Somalia and creating a national government were in jeopardy Friday after more than four months of little progress. Several Somali factions, including the Transitional National Government (TNG) were threatening to walk out on the talks over what they described as interference by Ethiopia. Full Story
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