(27 Mar 08 - RV) Somalia's Islamist fighters seized control of the town of Jowhar
yesterday, the most significant of several towns captured in recent months from
the interim government. Seven people including a child were killed in the attack,
which highlights the government's inability to assert its authority on Somalia despite
support from Ethiopian and African Union troops. Also yesterday forty aid agencies
urged the world to focus attention on what they called a "catastrophic" humanitarian
situation in the country, where hundreds of thousands of people are suffering from
war, drought and food shortages. A 15-month Islamist-led insurgency, which has killed
more than 6,500 people, has seen a resurgence in recent months. Bishop Giorgio
Bertin, Apostolic Administrator to the Capital Mogadishu says the situation is beyond
critical.