At least 22 people have been killed in fierce ongoing fighting between rival warlords to the north of the war-scarred Somali capital of Mogadishu.
The latest death toll brings to 45 the number of people killed in fighting between different militia in the country in the past week, and medical officials said the number of wounded stood at 85 following heavy overnight clashes in the capital.
The fighting in Mogadishu pits the militias of warlords Muse Sudi Yalahow and Mohammed Dheere, which flared up on Tuesday in the heaviest clashes in the capital for months, residents said. The reason for the fighting is still not clear.
Fighters in the capital were using light artillery, truck mounted anti-aircraft guns, heavy machineguns and rocket propelled grenades, witnesses said. United Nations officials say the city of one million has about 60,000 militiamen.
Twenty-two people were killed and 20 wounded in fighting that broke out over the weekend prior to the clashes in the capital as rival militias clashed in southern Somalia.
The country of more than seven million collapsed into chaos after the overthrow of military ruler Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991. Conflict and famine have killed hundreds of thousands of people since then.
Warlords and traditional leaders are trying to restore a central government to the country at reconciliation talks hosted by Kenya, but the 18-month-old process has been dogged by rifts between Ethiopia and Arab states, rivals for influence in the Horn of Africa.