Fighting between Ethiopian troops and Islamic insurgents left at least 12 dead in Mogadishu Thursday. Residents reported seeing bodies scattered in the streets after mortars struck various neighborhoods of the capital.
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Ethiopian troops have blocked off key roads after one of their bases in southern Mogadishu was attacked by a suicide bomber. Witnesses say an Ethiopian military truck exploded after it apparently hit a landmine.
Meanwhile, the U.N. says an epidemic of diarrhea is sweeping across Somalia, and could spread with the coming of seasonal rains. The world body is urging the interim government to allow aid workers to provide assistance to at least 100,000 Somalis in the neediest areas.
The U.N. says that some 218,000 people have fled Mogadishu since February 1.
The capital has been wracked by violence since late last year, when Ethiopian troops helped Somalia's interim government drive a rival Islamist movement from power. Islamist and clan-based militias have since launched numerous attacks on government-related targets.
The worst occurred in late March, when four days of fighting in the capital killed hundreds of people, many of them civilians.
The Horn of Africa country has not had an effective central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.