In Somalia, at least three people were killed and 13 wounded as heavy shelling hit the capital Mogadishu. The fighting comes ahead of a government-backed reconciliation conference set for this weekend.

Dr. Hassan Osman Isse, manager of the Madina Hospital: “Until this morning we received 24 wounded civilians. Seven of them were seriously injured. These days we expect at least 40 casualties daily.”

Somalia has seen intense clashes in fighting between U.S.-backed Ethiopian and Somali forces against Islamic clerics.