Citizens Internally Displaced by Military Activity in Southern Somalia
Mogadishu (SDN) Towns in southern Somalia including Ceelasha biyaha, Lafoole, Carbiska, and Xaawo-Cabdi in the Lower Shabeelle region are at the centre of an unprecedented exodus.
Hundreds of families have taken advantage of the reopening of the Afgooye-Mogadishu road that connects the regions of Banaadir and Lower Shabeelle.
Some of those taking the journey told SDN that they are fed up with the bombardment and military activity in the region. They also said that many people in Lafoole are fleeing from violence that has caught civilians in the middle of a siege. There have been reports of civilian casualities from mortar fire in the midst of transitional federal government and AMISOM operations in the area; no one has claimed responsibility for the deaths.
According to the internally displaced people the current situation is out of control and many of those fleeing the area are low-income families who lack means for transportation. This has forced many to pack their meagre belongings onto wheelbarrows and trolleys to make the arduous journey on foot.
The confusion has led to masses of displaced people trying to make their way to the Mogadishu corridor amid renewed violence in the Lower Shabelle region. As the August 20th deadline for the transition to interim rule looms on the horizon, the outcome of the transitional federal government and AMISOM mission against Al Shabaab remains to be seen.
SDN- Mogadishu