People killed in Mogadishu violence

Mugadishu, Thursday, August 02, 2007 Simba Radio

Mortars shelled into civilian houses in the Somali capital after fighting between insurgents and Ethiopian troops, killing eight people, including a mother and her two daughters, witnesses said Thursday.

The mortar fire started after a 30-minute gunbattle between the insurgents and troops.

Eyewitness said he saw two mortars land on his neighbor's house.

"A mother and two of her daughters were killed, the father was screaming for a help as three of his family members died before his eyes," he said.

A pregnant woman also was among the dead, and . At least 20 people were wounded.

Eric Laroche, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia , said the unrelenting violence is preventing the return of thousands of people who have fled to squalid camps on the outskirts of the capital. Laroche spoke during an unannounced visit to the Somali capital.

About a fifth of Mogadishu 's 2 million residents fled the city during fierce fighting in March and April, as the government tried to crush the insurgents. Only about 125,000 have returned, the U.N. said last month.

Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned against one another, defending clan fiefdoms. The government was formed in 2004 with the help of the United Nations, but has struggled to assert any real control