Displaced families in Mogadishu in dire conditions - rights group

The main human rights group in Somalia, the Mogadishu-based Isma'il Jim'ale Human Rights Centre (IJHRC), has called on Somalis and the international community to come to the aid of hundreds of families displaced by recent fighting in the capital city.

"Hundreds of families are either sheltering with relatives or are living in the open," said Marian Hussein Awreye, the IJHRC director.

From 22 to 26 March, Mogadishu was the scene of heavy fighting between rival militias, during which more than 100 people were killed and 300 wounded. Thousands of families were displaced. A temporary ceasefire has been in effect since 26 March.

Some of the displaced were living in camps and "had been displaced more than once," Awreye said. "They are living in appalling conditions in makeshift shelters." The IJHRC condemned the fighting and called on the international community to put pressure on the two sides to sign a permanent ceasefire "in order for people to return to their homes." Many families are afraid to return home "because they don't know whether fighting will resume again," she said.

Mediators had been unable to convince the two sides to sign a permanent ceasefire, and "there is suspicion among the population that they are preparing for war and renewed fighting is just a matter of time," a local journalist said.

Awreye said overall human rights violations had decreased this year, compared with 2005. "This is the first fighting we’ve had in Mogadishu where no rapes have been reported," she said. "So far this year, we have recorded three rapes, and only one was in Mogadishu. At this time last year, we had recorded around 12 cases.” She said that kidnapping for ransom was the biggest problem. Despite the death toll of at least 100 in the recent fighting, there were only 19 civilian casualties, she said.