Floods follow drought in Somalia

Broken-down infrastructure has worsened the effect of the rain

Heavy rain has caused severe floods in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, weeks after the worst droughts in decades.

Two children are reported to have died and hundreds of people have seen their their makeshift homes washed away.

Many of those affected by the flooding are people who sought refuge in the capital during the drought and recent fighting further north.

Large areas in the south and centre of the country are being battered by torrential rain.

More than 2,000 people have either had their homes destroyed or been forced to abandon them, according to estimates.

"My two children were injured last night after our house collapsed," resident Mariam Abdullahi Ugas told the AFP news agency.

"We have nowhere to go because we do not know anybody here."

Plea for help

Public transport came to a halt in parts of the capital.

"We have decided to stay at home because the water is everywhere," minibus driver Bille Kilas told AFP.

"Nobody can risk driving in these conditions."

The Islamic courts that have controlled Mogadishu since June this year reportedly appealed for assistance.

"The damage is more than the Islamic courts alone can fix," Islamic official Sheik Abdiqadir Ali Omar told AP news agency.

"We call on the international community as well as the Somali businessmen and well-wishers to help the poor people here."

The Union of Islamic Courts took over Mogadishu after 16 years of lawlessness that began with the overthrow of dictator Siad Barre in 1991.

The courts are opposed by the transitional government of Somalia, which is based in the town of Baidoa. Talks are due to begin soon between the two groups in Khartoum.

Years of neglect of infrastructure - including stormwater drains - have been blamed for worsening the effects of the heavy rain.