MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — At least 37 people have been killed in three days of heavy fighting over the southern Somali port of Kismayo, ham radio operators reported Monday.
Militiamen loyal to the Majerten subclan that controls Kismayo were reported to have pushed the rival Marehan forces from around the town and regained control of the southern Juba River valley.
Ham radio operators in Kismayo, the main source of information in the area, also reported 55 wounded in the fighting.
There was no independent confirmation of the reports.
Kismayo remains the only flashpoint in Somalia following the December peace conference in Cairo, when 26 factions agreed to put their differences aside and form a national government at a reconciliation conference May 15.
The Majerten leader Gen. Mohamed Hirsi, known as Morgan, refused to sign the Cairo peace agreement. He accused Hussein Aidid, leader of Somalia’s most powerful faction, of supporting the Marehan attackers with troops and arms. Aidid denies the charge.