MOGADISHU, Feb 25: At least eight Somalis were killed and hundreds fled their homes on Monday when about 400 militiamen loyal to rival faction leaders clashed in the capital Mogadishu, residents said.

Fighters loyal to warlord Muse Sudi Yalahow battled the forces of his former militia commander, Omar Mohamed Mohamud “Finish”, in the latest clashes triggered by a disagreement over a peace deal signed by some factions in December.

“The fighting is continuing,” said Ahmed Dacad, the commander of militias loyal to Omar Mohamed. “We killed four of Muse Sudi’s fighters,” he told Reuters.

Witnesses described heavy fighting in the streets of southwest Mogadishu, saying about 15 pickup trucks mounted with machineguns had been used in running battles. At least eight people were killed and 13 people more injured, witnesses said.

Omar Mohamed’s fighters clashed with Muse Sudi’s militiamen in December after Omar Mohamed signed a peace deal in Kenya with Somalia’s shaky Transitional National Government.

Several powerful warlords, including Muse Sudi, rejected the deal with the TNG, which was set up in 2000 and only controls parts of the capital and other patches of territory.

Somalia, without a central government since 1991, is divided up into clan-based fiefdoms. The new agreement calls for a single “all-inclusive” government, sharing power between all clans.

Kenya’s government has pushed hard for Somali factions to unite, arguing that a divided, anarchic Somalia could prove a perfect haven for terrorists.—Reuters