Elders
and local officials held talks Monday in a bid to end four
days of sporadic gun battles and looting around the former
presidential residence in the capital, Mogadishu.
The fighting
erupted between militiamen formerly in league with warlord
Hussein Mohamed Aidid and men still loyal to him, officials
said. The mutineers were complaining of a lack of pay, food
and medical care, according to the independent newspaper Qaran.
Late
Sunday, heavy machine gun and assault rifle exchanges were
heard close to the residence, which Aidid has taken over.
Witnesses
said nearby buildings had been damaged. It was unclear whether
Aidid was in the residence, or if there had been casualties.
Four days
ago, the disgruntled militiamen looted the building and made
off with furniture, doors, windows and ammunition.
Meanwhile,
Mogadishu residents said the security situation in the capital
was deteriorating, with an increase in carjackings, burglaries
and muggings.
Four people
have been killed and at least seven others injured in crime-related
incidents over the last two days.
Residents
blamed the situation on the growing number of armed militiamen
roaming the streets.
The militiamen
have been paid by faction leaders, who now see their influence
waning as Somalis grow optimistic about peace talks in neighboring
Djibouti.
Somalia
has had no central government since 1991 opposition politicians
joined forces to oust President Mohamed Siad Barre.
They
then turned on each other, carving the country into militia-controlled
fiefdoms. But if the peace talks succeed, the warlords could
find their power eroded.
An initiative,
proposed by Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh, calls
on the warlords to turn their factions into political parties,
commit to a complete and verifiable disarmament, submit to
the primacy of law and respect the creation of a police force.
A number
of faction leaders, including Aidid, have refused to participate
in the talks. But hundreds of religious leaders, politicians
and civilians have attended peace conference, which has been
ongoing since May 2.
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