Over 31 people have reportedly been killed in renewed violence between Somali fighters and Union of Islamic Courts troops in the war-torn Horn of Africa.

Fighting erupted early on Friday after Al Shabaab gunmen shelled a number of UIC bases in the capital Mogadishu, killing more than twenty UIC gunmen while eleven Al Shabaab fighters also died in the clashes.

Hostilities continue as the area around the battle zone, Sigarka, the southern part of the capital where UIC bases are situated, has come to a standstill, Press TV’s Somali correspondent reported quoting local residents.

Several civilians have also been reported dead in the conflict and there are concerns over more fatalities as the number of victims is expected to rise.

The new wave of attacks follows weeks of rivalry in which Al Shabab fighters gunned down UIC commanders and singled out officials.

The country’s senior clerics including Sheikh Bashir Ahmed and other prominent politicians have condemned the bloodshed, calling upon the adversaries to stop the conflict.

Civil war has ravaged the African nation since late 1970s after the central government collapsed and local tribes took up arms against the alleged West-sponsored regimes in Mogadishu.

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