Somali official: Clashes between government and those protesting home demolitions kills 3
By APSaturday, March 27, 2010
Clashes in Somalia over home demolitions kill 3
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali government official says three people have been killed and four injured in clashes Saturday between government soldiers and armed protesters opposing the demolition of their houses near Mogadishu’s main airport.
Abdisalan Dahir Abdulle, Mogadishus deputy mayor, says the government had ordered the demolition of makeshift homes that could be used by militants from al-Shabab. The targeted area was a former air force base and is about 100 yards (meters) from the airport’s fence.
Witnesses on Friday said hundreds of poor Somali families are being forcibly evicted from their homes near the airport.
Human rights groups say the families — who squatted the idle land — have no place to go.
Somalia’s fragile government is battling Islamists who usually fire mortars from residential areas.
