UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. chief of humanitarian affairs denounced on Friday the seizure of a Somali hospital by anti-Islamic militiamen as a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
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"At a time when people most need medical care and surgical attention, the occupation of Keysaney hospital by armed fighters constitutes a gross violation of international humanitarian law," Jan Egeland, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement.
Gun battles between rival militias have broken out anew in Mogadishu in recent days following a period of relative calm in clashes between Islamic warlords and secular bands widely believed to be supported by the United States.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said the Keysaney hospital it funds was commandeered earlier this week by some of the Somali militiamen who say they have joined forces to fight terrorism.
It is the sole hospital in northern Mogadishu treating civilians and wounded fighters.
Many Somalis see the fighting as a proxy war between militant Islamists and the United States.
People took to the streets in the tens of thousands in Mogadishu on Friday to condemn the United States for supporting warlords. Washington has not commented except to say that it welcomes support in its declared war on terrorism.
Somali officials say the United States is funding the warlord coalition in return for attacks on Islamists it thinks are allied with or sheltering al Qaeda suspects.
In the last few weeks alone, Egeland said, Mogadishu has seen some of the worst fighting in a decade with 300 people dead, 1,500 injured and 17,000 displaced.
"The recent indiscriminate shelling in Mogadishu and spreading fighting in the environs of the capital have resulted in enormous human suffering," Egeland said.
In Geneva earlier on Friday, Dennis McNamara, a special U.N. adviser on displacement, warned that Somalia faces a humanitarian disaster unless the militias end their fighting.
McNamara, just back from a 10-day mission to Somalia, urged Western countries to invest in restoring stability in the lawless country rather than arming militias.
"This is a potential disaster area, at least from the humanitarian perspective, if it is not contained in the near future," he said.
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"At a time when people most need medical care and surgical attention, the occupation of Keysaney hospital by armed fighters constitutes a gross violation of international humanitarian law," Jan Egeland, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement.
Gun battles between rival militias have broken out anew in Mogadishu in recent days following a period of relative calm in clashes between Islamic warlords and secular bands widely believed to be supported by the United States.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said the Keysaney hospital it funds was commandeered earlier this week by some of the Somali militiamen who say they have joined forces to fight terrorism.
It is the sole hospital in northern Mogadishu treating civilians and wounded fighters.
Many Somalis see the fighting as a proxy war between militant Islamists and the United States.
People took to the streets in the tens of thousands in Mogadishu on Friday to condemn the United States for supporting warlords. Washington has not commented except to say that it welcomes support in its declared war on terrorism.
Somali officials say the United States is funding the warlord coalition in return for attacks on Islamists it thinks are allied with or sheltering al Qaeda suspects.
In the last few weeks alone, Egeland said, Mogadishu has seen some of the worst fighting in a decade with 300 people dead, 1,500 injured and 17,000 displaced.
"The recent indiscriminate shelling in Mogadishu and spreading fighting in the environs of the capital have resulted in enormous human suffering," Egeland said.
In Geneva earlier on Friday, Dennis McNamara, a special U.N. adviser on displacement, warned that Somalia faces a humanitarian disaster unless the militias end their fighting.
McNamara, just back from a 10-day mission to Somalia, urged Western countries to invest in restoring stability in the lawless country rather than arming militias.
"This is a potential disaster area, at least from the humanitarian perspective, if it is not contained in the near future," he said.
Yahoo news is the link.
