Somalia Clashes: Rival government forces exchange gunfire in Mogadishu

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In the Somalian capital of Mogadishu rival government forces have exchanged gunfire. Forces trained by the United Arab Emirates clashed with the government special task force. The number of casualties and cause of the clashes remain unclear. Our correspondent Abdulaziz Billow brings us this update.

ABDULAZIZ BILLOW MOGADISHU "It's still unclear what prompted the clash - but it's not the first time that rival forces have clashed in Mogadishu."

The casualty figure from Wednesday's clash is yet to be confirmed but local sources say at least one soldier and two civilians died and seven others injured after troops trained by United Arab Emirates clashed with a special force tasked with stabilizing Mogadishu.

Heavy exchange of fire lasted for close to an hour - bringing business and movement to a standstill in the rather busy Tarabunka junction in Hodan district of Mogadishu. The Somali army chief had condemned the clash but ruled out media reports of sharp differences among various units belonging to the country's armed forces.

A Somali senator in December 2017 accused the UAE trained troops of carrying out a raid in his home - sparking a national debate on whether Mogadishu controls the troops trained by foreign powers.

Turkey, Britain, United States and UAE are among countries training Somali forces - both Turkey and UAE have military bases in Mogadishu with hundreds of trained soldiers - the soldiers are being prepared to form the bulk off Somalia's new army that's due to replace African Union troops as well as secure the nation from Al-Shabaab.

Meanwhile, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has moved his office from the presidential palace to the defense headquarters so as to prepare his forces in the upcoming offensive to dislodge Al-Shabaab from the country.

ABDULAZIZ BILLOW MOGADISHU "Security experts however say that it's such kind of clashes that undermining Mogadishu's efforts to stabilize a nation that's under threat from one of Africa's deadliest militant group. AB, CGTN, MOG."