At Least 55 Killed in South Somali Port Clashes

At least 55 people have been reported dead in clashes between local clan militias fighting to recapture the Indian Ocean port of Kismayu from invading Al Shabaab insurgents. According to Ali Bashi, a local human rights operative, most of the dead are combatants, while 75 wounded people have been admitted to the Kismayu general hospital, which has only one doctor and just a few nurses on call. Al Shabaab commanders claim to have gained control of 80 per cent of the Kismayu port and its environs.[PE]