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  • Tuesday, 24 November 2009
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At Least 10 Dead in Renewed Mogadishu Violence

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Witnesses in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, say renewed fighting between Ethiopian troops and Somali insurgents has left at least 10 people dead and at least 20 injured.

Residents say the fighting broke out late Tuesday in the Al Kamin neighborhood of southern Mogadishu. Witnesses report heavy shelling and artillery fire overnight in other areas as well.

The city was calm again by early Wednesday.

Some residents said the fighting Tuesday was as intense as clashes late last month that killed hundreds of people.

The Ethiopian troops - who support Somalia's transitional government - had signed a truce earlier this month with the city's dominant Hawiye clan to end that fighting.

The fighting and general chaos in Mogadishu have prompted tens of thousands of residents to flee for surrounding areas.

Ethiopian and Somali government troops drove a rival Islamist movement from power in southern Somalia late last year.

But violence has continued in Mogadishu, where insurgents believed to include Islamists and clan-based militias have launched numerous attacks on pro-government targets.

The recent violence has forced the interim government to postpone a national reconciliation conference that was scheduled for this week. An Arab League official said the conference is now set for mid-May.

Somalia has lacked a stable central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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