At least 25 people died in the Somali capital Mogadishu today, following an insurgent mortar attack on the Horn of Africa nation"s president, dpa quoted local media reports as saying. Insurgents, who have been pushing to oust the Western-backed government, attacked President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as he flew out to Uganda to attend an African Union conference on internally displaced people and refugees. Radio Garowe reported that the AU peacekeeping mission AMISOM returned mortar fire, some of which landed in a popular market and residential areas. Dozens were also injured in the attack, which comes after a recent lull in the fighting. AMISOM (African Union Mission to Somalia) - the target of a recent suicide bombing that killed 17 peacekeepers - is propping up the government in Somalia, which has been embroiled in chaos since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The current insurgency kicked off in early 2007 following an Ethiopian invasion. It has recently gathered pace. Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab and its allies Hizbul Islam in May launched a renewed push to oust Sheik Sharif, a former insurgent ally who came to power early this year as part of a United Nations- backed peace process. More than 250,000 people fled daily heavy battles, which trailed off after a few months. There has been little violence in Mogadishu in recent weeks as al- Shabaab and Hizbul Islam have turned on each other in a power struggle over control of the port town of Kismayo.
