SOMALIA: UN expert deplores Mogadishu fighting

The United Nations independent expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia has expressed deep concern at the recent upsurge of violence in Mogadishu. Mona Rishmawi "strongly condemned the continuing use of weapons as a means of resolving conflicts and particularly deplored violence against civilians", according to a UN statement, received by IRIN on Thursday. Rishmawi said heavy mortars, anti-aircraft artillery and armour-piercing weaponry were widely used during recent fighting which left dozens of civilians trapped in north Mogadishu's Karan market. Thousands of families fled their homes in the Karan district and their property was looted and destroyed. The situation in both north and south Mogadishu was still tense, with deteriorating security at K-50 airport and on the road between the airport and the city. Rishmawi reminded the warring factions that they were bound by the Geneva Conventions to protect civilian populations from hostilities, and urged them "to continue to meet and pursue the dialogue which they have begun". The UN High Commission on Human Rights in Geneva is due to consider Rishmawi's report on the human rights situation in Somalia on 22 April.