Latest Mogadishu battles kill 113 civilians: group

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Three days of battles in Mogadishu pitting Ethiopian and Somali troops against Islamist insurgents have killed 113 civilians and wounded another 222, a local human rights group said on Friday.

"We call on both sides to cease the war immediately without any pre-condition," Sudan Ali Ahmed, chairman of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Organisation which tracks the casualties, told Reuters in Mogadishu.

Ahmed said the figures were compiled from hospitals, counts on the street, and visits to homes by members of his group.

"Today was one of the worst days of shellings yet. Since last night, it has been non-stop," Ahmed added, saying the world should give the same attention to the violence in Somalia as it does to the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

"If this continues for a month, it will be a major, major catastrophe."