At least 12 killed as fighting returns to Mogadishu

At least 12 people were killed in Mogadishu last night in the worst fighting since Ethiopian troops ousted the Somali Council of Islamic Courts (SCIC) from the Somali capital in late December.

Most of the victims were civilians caught in the crossfire as Ethiopian and pro-government forces exchanged mortar fire with unknown insurgents. Hundreds of people fled their homes during the fiercest fighting in the early hours of the morning.

Hospitals were today struggling to accommodate more than 40 wounded people, including several children.

The deadly violence, which followed the killing of seven people on Sunday, is raising serious questions about the ability of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to control the capital. Despite the presence of several thousand Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu, insecurity has increased sharply in recent weeks, with insurgents mounting near-daily attacks.

The government blames remnants of the SCIC for the violence. Though the Islamists were chased out of Somalia's main cities by the Ethiopian forces, they were never entirely defeated militarily and their leaders remain at large.

But the insurgency may not be the work of only one group. Besides the SCIC, whose six-month rule in Mogadishu last year was the most peaceful in the city for 16 years, there are numerous groups that would like to see the TFG fail - including the warlords who used to run the capital and local clan leaders opposed to President Abdullahi Yusuf, who comes from the northern Puntland region.