Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
26 May 2009
Mogadishu — The besieged Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has sent an international appeal for assistance as rebels marched to within kilometers of its base in Mogadishu.
The Al Shaabab militia, an Islamic movement which the US has linked to the Al Qaeda terror network, has taken over major parts of the country in heavy fighting that has seen the death toll rise to more than 200 with more than 60, 000 refugees, according to the UN.
At the weekend, Somali Islamist leader Hassan Dahir Aweys who is leading the attacks against the government said that they have the support of Eritrea. The movement has vowed to remove President Sheikh Shariff Ahmed's government.
Meanwhile, local NGOs in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, have set up a task force in a bid to mobilize urgent help for thousands of displaced civilians.
"The situation is so bad that if nothing is done many will die," Asha Sha'ur, a civil society activist, told IRIN on Monday. "We are appealing to the international aid agencies to help these desperate people before it is too late."
According to Ali Sheikh Yassin, deputy chairman of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Organisation (EHRO), 207 people have been killed since the latest clashes began on May 8.
The violence has forced Médecins Sans Frontières to close its outpatient clinic in Yaaqshid district. The health facility would re-open once there was minimum security, it said.
Last week, the UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) reported the looting of its compound in Jowhar, 90km south of Mogadishu, when Al-Shabab militia captured the town.
More than 50,000 severely malnourished children and at least 85,000 moderately malnourished children in south-central Somalia have been affected by the interruption in nutritional and medical supplies.
Caritas Somalia, a Catholic humanitarian agency which has been operating a clinic in Baidoa, south of the country, left Somalia one year ago due to insecurity and lack of resources.
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