20100605
Reuters

Two Ugandan soldiers serving in the African Union's peacekeeping force in Somalia (AMISOM) died in fighting with rebels for control of north Mogadishu this week, an AMISOM spokesman said on Saturday.

At least 11 people died when the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels and government forces shelled each other's positions in the north of the city. Dozens more were injured.

"Two of our soldiers died in Thursday fighting and 5 others were injured," Manirakiza Adolphe AMISOM's deputy public information officer told Reuters. "The rebels also burnt two of our vehicles."

Somalia has had no effective central government for 19 years and western efforts to install one have been undermined by the insurgents.

The African Union force has more than 6,000 troops from Uganda and Burundi. More than 30 peacekeepers have been killed in the Somalia conflict since the mission began in 2007.