At least 20 people were killed in continued fighting in the Somali capital of Mogadishu between troops backing Somalia's transitional government and Islamic insurgents continued after more than a week, reports said. As dozens of Ethiopian tanks were reported to be roaming the capital, the SOS Children's Hospital was struck repeatedly resulting in the injury of several patients. Doctors at the hospital, which is now also treating casualties of the fighting, have complained of a lack of medical supplies to deal with the number of wounded, according to dpa. The transitional government meanwhile vowed that with the support of Ethiopia they would drive out "all terrorists." An African peace-keeping mission that was to maintain order after a planned withdrawal by Ethiopian troops has not materialized. So far, only 1,500 Ugandan soldiers have been deployed to Somalia, which has been without effective central rule since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre plunged the country into anarchy. According to new figures from the United Nation's refugee agency UNHCR, 400,000 Mogadishu residents have fled Mogadishu, a city with an orginal population estimated at 1 million. Speaking to journalists in Geneva, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said the most vulnerable in the population such as women, children, the aged and the feeble were the most affected. He added that aid organizations, despite having supplies in the area, were finding it impossible to reach most of the affected population due to the ongoing instability. In addition, he added that more than 17,000 people were suffering from diarrhoea due to poor hygienic conditions, and more than 600 people have died from diarrhoea or cholera. The poor hygienic situation was due to worsen due to flooding as the rainy season approached, Holmes said. -- SPA
