Fear of renewed clashes in the south

Fear of renewed clashes is rising again in the Middle Juba Region as forces allied to the Mogadishu-based Transitional National Government (TNG) and those of the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC) are deploying in the area, local sources told IRIN. A source in Kismayo, 500 km south Mogadishu, confirmed to IRIN that the pro-TNG Juba Valley Alliance (JVA), which controls Kismayo and its environs, had sent reinforcements to Jilib town in preparation for an attack on Bu'aale, 250 km north of Kismayo, and the regional capital of Middle Juba. Bu'aale was captured from the JVA last week by forces of the SRRC. "The JVA has sent forces from Kismayo, but also from the Lower Shabelle Region to the north," said the source. "I cannot tell you when they will mount an attack, but I am certain it is coming within the coming days," he added. The JVA, is a grouping of Marehan, Ogaden, and Habar Gedir clans, which support the TNG, while the Baidoa-based SRRC brings together southern factions opposed to the TNG.