20100524
AFRICA NEWS

At least thirteen people were killed and over thirty-five were wounded after residents clashed with Ethiopia soldiers in the northern Somali town of Buhoodle.

A local resident told AfricaNews that angry residents clashed with Ethiopia’s force that had entered in Buhoodle district two weeks ago.

Ten of the dead people were civilians while other three were Ethiopia’s forces, residents said.

“The fighting started Friday’s afternoon. I saw bodies of three Ethiopia soldiers”, a resident Mohamed Ali told AfricaNews by phone. He added that more than thirty-five others were wounded in the clashes.

Ali said that the fighting erupted after the Ethiopia forces seized public vehicles in the town.

“Residents were angered by the move and clashed with the Ethiopian troops in the town," he added. Residents said Ethiopia deployed more troops in the town.

At least 100 trucks from Ethiopian army who are based at Buhoodle in Somalia started to check and search vehicles moving in the area.

Ethiopian officials could not be reached for comment about the reports

Ethiopian troops come in the town as more than 29 million Ethiopian have registered to vote next Sunday in the general election.

Ethiopia entered Somalia in 2006 to help oust Islamist forces from the capital Mogadishu but withdrew under a UN-backed peace deal.