Mogadishu insecurity worsens

By Hassan Barise
BBC, Mogadishu

Mr Salat is accused of failing to secure Mogadishu

The security situation in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has reportedly been deteriorating, with a wave of killings, abductions and car hijackings.

Two heavily armed groups exchanged fire, on Thursday, killing at least eight people and wounding six more, in the busy Taleh neighbourhood of South Mogadishu.

The incident took place when gunmen from one Somali faction dominating north Mogadishu used a bus to ambush members of another faction in a busy street.

The attack was in retaliation for an earlier incident, but the wife of one of those who was killed said they had hit the wrong target.

The constant fighting and the inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the death of nearly a million people in the country.

Former interim president Abdikassim Salat Hassan, who pulled out of the talks on forging a new government just weeks before his term of office ended, has been accused of failing to secure Mogadishu.

Road closure

Gunmen rule the roads, forcing drivers to pay extortionate amounts of money.

Regular car-jacking attacks have forced the closure of the capital's major roads paralysing public transport as buses are refusing to use key routes.

Meanwhile, the Kenyan Ambassador to Somalia, Mohammed Affey, left Mogadishu, on Friday, for Kismaio in an attempt to revitalise the crumbling Somali conference in Kenya.

The mandate of the three-year old Transitional National Government (TNG) expired on Wednesday and Mr Salat announced that his government would not stand down until a new government and parliament were formed.

His prime minister, whom he sacked earlier this week, has accused Mr Salat of trying to destroy the peace process, in order to prolong his stay in office.