Mogadishu fighting leave 81 dead

April 20, 2008

Fierce fighting between Ethiopian troops and Islamic militants in Mogadishu, Somalia has left 81 cilvians dead and more than 100 wounded.

Sudan Ali Ahmed, the head of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Group, accused the rebels of using civilians has human shields, while the transitional government's Ethiopian allies shelled residential neighborhoods with tanks and artillery.

"We are condemning the warring sides in the strongest terms for violating human rights and committing war crimes against civilians," Ahmed said.

Large numbers of civilians have been fleeing two neighborhoods in the northeastern part of the capital where the fighting has been taking place, witnesses reported, joining a population of displaced Somalis that aid groups estimate already tops 1 million.