Tens of thousands of Somalis displaced by continued fighting

An attack by Islamic militants against government soldiers in the Somali capital Monday left at least 15 people dead. The attack came a day after Somalia's parliament passed a vote of confidence to the new Somali-American prime minister. Meanwhile, Kenya is blocking attempts by aid agencies to move 7,100 of Somalis fleeing fighting to refugee camps just inside the Kenyan boarder.

“There are over 7,000 people in Boarder Point Number One, which is just 500 metres from the town of Beledhawo on the boarder,” says Roberta Russo, spokesperson in Somalia for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

She says that although the refugees are receiving aid, UNHCR wants to move them to camps where they can better establish temporary shelters and medical facilities.

“If they fighting resumes, they could be caught in the [violence] and it is very dangerous for their lives,” Russo told Vatican Radio.

UNHCR says that an additional 30,000 people are displaced within Somalia due to fighting between al Shabaab rebels and Somali troops.

Listen to Roberta Russo’s interview with Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: