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Somali Rebel Groups Fight Over Control of Port City
Heavy fighting flared up Thursday between two rebel groups in Somalia for control of the southern port city of Kismaio.
The Somali Reconciliation and Reconstruction Council (SRRC) fighters Thursday morning launched a major attack against the town of Jilib, a strategic city lying 150 kilometers northeast of Kismaio controlled by the Jubba Valley Alliance militiamen.
The town of Jilib immediately went out of the air early Thursday morning as the reports of the fighting grew stronger and got close to the town. Before the telecommunications went off the air, hundreds of people have started fleeing the town in fear of the fighting.
Mohamed Hussein Hagafoh, spokesman for the SRRC, said that his forces had captured Jilib town and inflicted heavy losses on the Jubba Valley Alliance.
However, spokesman for Jubba Valley Alliance Colonel Mohamud Samatar Ahmed disputed the claim of the SRRC, saying the town of Jilib is still in the hands of his men.
During the heavy exchange of gunfire, Ahmed said his forces have captured two battle wagons and destroyed a third one, adding five of his men sustained gunshot wounds, but none had died.
There are no exact casualty figures available at this stage, however civilians fleeing the fighting area spoke about quite a large number of civilians killed and wounded in the fighting.
Moreover, the colonel said his forces have chased out the SRRC fighters and are now in control of Jilib town and its surrounding areas.
The Somali interim government Thursday reacted for the first time to this fighting by declaring a state of emergency throughout the country.
Information Minister Zakaria Mohamud Hajji Abdi who briefed journalists here said despite this emergency status, the government is appealing for cease-fire for both sides.
Zakaria said his government is calling the people in those areas to defend themselves while also pledging that his government will soon take stance against this fighting.
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