ICRC supplies medical kits to Mogadishu hospitals

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has supplied medical kits to help overstretched hospitals in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, following last week's heavy fighting.

The ICRC-supported hospitals, Keysaney in the north and Medina in the south, received the bulk of those who were wounded in the clashes. Some 354 people are still in hospital, said hospital sources in Mogadishu. According to an ICRC statement issued on Tuesday, Keysaney hospital is treating 150 of the injured, while Medina is treating 50.

The latest round of fighting in the capital began on 22 March, when militia loyal to businessman Abukar Umar Adani attacked the positions of militiamen loyal to Bashir Raghe, a businessman and militia leader. Forces of the Alliance for Peace and the Fight Against International Terrorism, which comprises several Mogadishu-based faction leaders on Raghe's side, later joined the fighting.

A hospital doctor said 140 people had been killed by the time the guns fell silent on Sunday. "Around 122 died in battle or were civilian victims, while 22 died of their wounds in hospital," he said.

To deal with the increasing number of arrivals, Keysaney hospital had hired additional staff and opened new wards, ICRC said. The agency’s medical team estimated that 30 percent of the injured at Keysaney hospital were "women, children and other persons who did not participate in the clashes," the statement said. "The ICRC calls upon all parties, groups and individuals to consider the suffering of the defenseless population and to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law."