afrol News, 8 August - Somalia insurgents have occupied Hudur, a town in south west Somalia without resistance from the army.

Over100 masked militia are said to have raided a town to oppose Ethiopian troops in the country, who are backing Somali government and also assisted government to oust Islamists insurgents who occupied most of the country in 2006.

Al-Shabab, a radical wing of the Islamists has also attacked a camp in Mogadishu, Somali's capital, housing both Ethiopia and Somali troops, but no casualties were reported following the attack.

The group has refused to recognise a Djibouti ceasefire signed in June between government and one Islamist leader, saying they would continue with attacks until Ethiopian troops have left the country.

Some of the residents in town, said there was no exchange of heavy artillery between army and insurgents, also claiming that insurgents have set up a base camp in town's central police station, while it has taken over administration of town.

Government forces reportedly fled Hudur, which lies along main road to Ethiopia, to Baidoa. The fighting comes as MPs gather in Baidoa to discuss political differences between president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein in recent weeks.

On Saturday, 10 out of 15 ministers of UN-backed transitional government resigned after Mr Hussein sacked Mogadishu's mayor, Mohammed Dhere, a close ally of the president.

Last month, al-Shabaab attacked Somali government headquarters in Baidoa, 250 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu and home to the country's transitional parliament killing at least four soldiers.

Somalia's transitional administration was formed in 2004 with help of United Nations, but it has failed to assert real control. After Islamic militants seized control of Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia, the government called in troops from Ethiopia in December 2006 to oust them.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew Dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and turned on each other.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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