Violence in Somalia displaces over 27,000

May 13, 2009 The Elman Human Rights Organization reported on Tuesday that heavy fighting in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, has left 113 people dead over three days and forced a further 27,000 to evacuate. 345 people have been injured in the fighting. The fighting is between al-Shabab, an insurgent organisation wanting to oust Somalia's current government and install an Islamic state, and pro-government fighters.

"They [the rebels] are anarchists. We will continue the fighting until we eliminate these elements," National Security Minister Omar Hashi Aden said to the Associated Press, pledging to crack down upon the rebels.

"The fighting erupted in the most densely populated areas," Ali Shaykh Yasin from the Elman Human Rights Group told a local radio station, HornAfrik. "The number of people killed who we saw were 123, while 312 others were wounded." He said that the outburst of violence in the capital had taken residents by surprise.