Medical charity Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) has closed one of its clinics in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, due to insecurity, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The clinic in central Mogadishu provided care to hundreds of women and children.
”The closure comes following a further deterioration of the situation in the area where the clinic is located,” MSF said in the statement released in Nairobi.
”There has been a notable increase in violence, including mortars landing close by the clinic.”
Islamist militia have waged a guerrilla war against Ethiopian and Somali government forces who ousted their movement in early 2007.
Aid organisations and workers have since been regularly targeted, forcing humanitarian groups to scale down operations.
Somalia has lacked an effective government since the 1991 ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Ensuing factional clashes have defied numerous bids to restore stability. — AFP
