Somalia
Somalia: Information minister 'regrets' shelling that killed civilians
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Sep 30, 2009 - 1:15:09 PM

MOGADISHU, Somalia Sep 30 (Garowe Online) - The information minister in Somalia's interim government has expressed regret at the loss of civilian lives after a busy market was shelled by Wednesday, Radio Garowe reports.

Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Ghelle told a Thursday press conference in the capital Mogadishu that the government opposes the shelling of civilian areas.

"The Government has spoken with AMISOM commanders about the shelling of Bakara [Market], which we regret," said the Information Minister.

He noted that Somali government officials asked the African Union peacekeeping mission, or AMISOM, to investigate the shelling of Bakara Market yesterday where at least 12 civilians were killed. READ: 12 civilians killed in Mogadishu shelling

"We do not approve and we will never approve that markets or other civilians areas be shelled, even though we know mortars targeting AMISOM and Somali forces originate there," added Mr. Ghelle.

Separately, he condemned reports of "headless bodies" found in parts of Mogadishu.

"A young child who sees a headless body will be terrorized and his mind will never forget," said the Information Minister.

Hizbul Islam rebel commanders in Mogadishu rejected accusations that headless bodies were found in areas under their control, but said they are "uninformed" about developments in parts of Mogadishu controlled by Al Shabaab, another rebel faction fighting Somalia's UN-endorsed interim government.

'Hospital full'

One of Mogadishu's hospitals has declared that it cannot admit any more patients due to overcrowding.

Mr. Omar Mohamud Hussein, director of Daynile Hospital, told reporters on Thursday that the hospital has reached full capacity.

"The hospital is full and cannot take in any more wounded persons, because we have too many patients [now]," said the hospital director.

He called on Mogadishu businesspeople to support more than 300 patients currently receiving treatment at Daynile Hospital, which is funded by Medicines San Frontiers (MSF).

Mr. Hussein said they built tents inside the hospitals to treat more patients, but "even the tents are full."

Mogadishu has been the scene of intense violence between Somali government forces and their AMISOM backers on one side and Islamist rebels intending to overthrow the government on the other side, with up wards of 18,000 people killed since the insurgency began in early 2007.

Source: Garowe Online