Somalia: Fighting displaces thousands in Middle Shabelle

Hundreds of families from villages in Somalia's Bal'ad District, in Middle Shabelle Region, have been displaced following recent fighting between African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and Al-Shabab insurgents, say officials. 'Our settlements are now the front line between the AMISOM/TFG alliance forces and Al-Shabab and we don't know where to go,' Hussein Mayow, a father of six, told IRIN. The displacement followed 25 June clashes in Bal'ad, about 40km northwest of Mogadishu, with the worst affected areas being the villages of Wala-Moy and Hamar-Daye, said an official with the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Youth and Sport, who preferred anonymity.