Very heavy fighting between Ethiopian Woyanne troops and insurgents has broken out in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
Reports say several people have died in the morning battles taking place in three areas close to the stadium.
Ethiopian Woyanne forces supporting the interim government have moved in reinforcements in a bid to crush Islamist fighters.
The UN says Mogadishu is facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” with some 80,000 people fleeing the fighting within the past three days.
Uncertainty
The Ethiopian Woyanne forces engaged fighters who have been conducting guerrilla-style attacks on them since the beginning of the year.
The insurgents are loyal to a group of Islamic courts which were expelled from Somalia after briefly controlling much of central and southern parts of the country.
It is also reported that local residents have also been firing at Ethiopian forces.
There was heavy fighting at the weekend, and according to eyewitnesses the fighting in the past few hours has been more intense and casualties have been numerous.
International aid agencies have warned of an unfolding humanitarian crisis in parts of Somalia since the fighting began last week.
This warning came as Somali faces further uncertainty after its prime minister, Ali Mohammed Ghedi, resigned on Monday.
About 40 aid agencies working in Somalia have said the fighting has cut off their ability to respond effectively to the needs of the displaced people.
According to the UN some 400,000 displaced people are now living in camps in towns outside Mogadishu, which include Afgooye.
Somali’s transitional government is struggling to impose it authority on the country and its forces and their Ethiopian Woyanne allies face daily attacks from insurgents.