- Title: SOMALIA: Injured civilians swamp hospitals as fighting intensifies in Somalia
- Date: 13th July 2009
- Summary: CHILDREN BEING TREATED IN HOSPITAL
- Embargoed: 28th July 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Somalia
- Country: Somalia
- Reuters ID: LVA30ZAISP521X0T0STEEHYQ9681
- Story Text: Hundreds of injured civilians seeks medical attention in local hospitals of of Mogadishu as fighting intensifies in the capital.
Africa Union peacekeepers backed Somali government troops in fighting insurgents on Sunday (July 12) in clashes that killed at least 43 people and injured scores in north Mogadishu.
Somalia's government and a 4,300-strong AU force (AMISOM) have been unable to take control of rebel strongholds in Mogadishu and other parts of the Horn of Africa nation despite international support and training.
The fighting caused a huge influx of injured civilians who stormed local hospitals seeking treatment.
Doctors at Medina hospital struggled to attend to the huge number of wounded civilians and the hospital wards were full to capacity. More wounded were brought to the hospital and most required surgery to remove bullets lounged in their bodies.
As the doctors continued treating civilians, ambulances brought more injured from the battle grounds.
Somalia's interim government has been pushing for a stronger mandate for AMISOM to allow its soldiers to help government forces fight opposition groups. Ugandan and Burundi peacekeepers are only allowed to defend themselves if attacked and protect key sites such as the presidential palace, airport and harbour, but government forces have so far lacked sufficient strength to score decisive wins within or outside the capital forcing the Africa Union troops to join in the fighting today.
"All we have done as AMISOM is to do what we call militarily show of force, move out from our bases with our equipment, going to certain areas and get back to our bases that is what we have done," said Uganda AU troops spokesman Major Barigye Ba-Hoku.
Fighting in Somalia since Ethiopian troops ousted a sharia courts movement in late 2006 has killed at least 18,000 people and sent hundreds of thousands more fleeing from their homes.
Al Qaeda-linked fighters in Somalia's al Shabaab rebel group are battling to oust President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, himself a former Islamist insurgent who joined a peace process last year. Fierce clashes have killed nearly 300 people.
"This provocation had a limit and there was a red line, therefore any opposition forces moving beyond that red line was not acceptable," Major Barigye added.
As fighting intensifies and to avoid being injured or even killed, Mogadishu residents are flee the capital in droves in search of safer grounds where fighting is not taking place. Women with young children carry their belongings as overloaded cars zooms out of the city.
Western nations, some of Somalia's neighbours and the government fear that if the chaos persists, more foreign fighters coming to wage holy war will be sucked into the Horn of African nation, increasing risks to the region in general.
The hard-line al Shabaab group has so far resisted government attempts to drive its fighters from the capital and the rebels, along with allied group Hizbul Islam, control most of southern Somalia bordering Kenya and parts of the central region. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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