Hundreds flee Bardera in fear of attacks

Hundreds of families are fleeing Bardera, the regional capital of the southwestern Gedo region, fearing clashes, locals told IRIN.



Barlin Abdi Ogle, a civil society activist based in Bardera, said many of the displaced had moved to nearby villages to avoid being caught in the crossfire.



Bardera was previously held by the Islamist group Al-Shabab but is now in the hands of a militia led by Col Bare Aden Shire, better known as "Barre Hiirale", a former defence minister in the Transitional Federal Government.



Ogle said: "Our estimate is that 1,000 to 2,000 families [6,000 to 12,000 people] have already left the town. Many of them are in areas where there are no water points and far from the river; they really are at the mercy of the elements."



She said since it was the season for outbreaks of waterborne diseases in the area, lack of clean water would make many IDPs susceptible to illness.



She appealed for urgent help in the provision of shelter material, water and food.



"Many of those who fled don't have shelter and the temperatures are very hot during the day," she said.



A local journalist based in Bardera, who requested anonymity, told IRIN people were scared that major clashes would erupt and "are trying to avoid it".



He said many of those who fled had sought refuge from the fighting in Mogadishu. "They remember Mogadishu and they don’t want to wait for it here."



He said at least six people were killed and three others injured when an explosion hit a vehicle carrying militia on 15 January. "Many residents see this as just the beginning. People are really worried and wondering what next," he said, adding that some had begun sending their children away from the town.



He said the situation had been exacerbated by reports that the Islamists would mount a major attack against the town.



"This is not Mogadishu and [the people] are not used to these kinds of attacks," he said.



Meanwhile, the last Ethiopian troops left the Somali capital on 15 January. "There are no Ethiopian soldiers in Mogadishu today [15 January]," said Abdi Haji Gobdon, the government spokesman. "They left peacefully and there were no major incidents."



A local journalist told IRIN there had been no clashes among the various insurgent groups and between them and government forces, as many had expected.



"Up to now, the much talked-about fighting between Somali groups has not happened and many residents are holding their breath and praying that things stay the way they are," he added.



ah/mw