Fighting drives hundreds in south-western Somalia into misery

BAKOL, Somalia, March 1, 2015 (Garowe Online)- Hundreds of residents in south-western Somalia who escaped fighting between government troops backed by the African Union and the Al-Qaeda linked militants face misery, hunger and diseases in bush areas in Bakool region, Garowe Online reports.

The fighting already displaced thousands of nomads and residents in rural areas, creating a humanitarian situation in Bakool region, hard-hit by the anti militants push led by AU forces.

Abdifatah Duwane,the commissioner for Yel town told Radio Garowe that the displaced families face water shortages and basic health care, adding woes to their already fragile situation.

He urged aid agencies to come to assistance for the families who fled into rural areas, leaving behind their homes and livestock of which they were heavily dependent on.

Residents in El-Bar, a small rural town in the region reported on saturday that fighting between the two sides killed at least 11 people, mostly civilians who were caught in the middle of the offensive against the insurgent fighters trying to topple the western-backed government in Somalia.

GAROWEONLINE