Six killed as Somali militia fights over port

MOGADISHU, June 17 (Reuters) - At least six people were killed when rival members of a militia clashed over control of Somalia's southern port of Kismayo on Wednesday, witnesses said on Thursday.

Four of the dead were civilians. Eight other people, including civilians, were wounded in fighting at the port, which is controlled by the Jubba Valley Alliance (JVA).

Barre Aden Shire, chairman of the JVA, told local media on Wednesday night that some of his former supporters and a rival warlord, General Morgan, were behind the clashes. Morgan denied the allegations through a local radio station.

The factions were believed to be fighting to control the port 500 km (300 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu because it provides lucrative income for those who protect importers and exporters.

Operations at the port were stopped on Friday when the JVA attempted to move the militia who normally guard it to another location. The militia were forced to leave, but regrouped and launched their attack.

Hundreds of heavily armed fighters exchanged machine-gun fire before JVA rebels managed to retake control of the port, witnesses said. Elders in the town tried to end the fighting.

Somalia has been torn by war since the overthrow of military ruler Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Conflict and famine have killed hundreds of thousands in the Horn of Africa country in the past decade.

An 18-month-old process to restore central government and reach peace has failed to yield much change on the ground.

More than 100 people were killed earlier this month as warlord Muse Sudi Yalahow and businessman Bashir Raghe battled for two weeks to control the main southern port of El Maan and a nearby hotel, according to religious mediators.

Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes to escape heavy mortar and gun fire, local radio reports said.