U.N. officials and African and Arab diplomats will be in Somalia on Friday to seek an end to fighting that has persisted despite a U.N.-mediated cease-fire agreement, officials say.
The trip comes after the human rights group Africa Watch accused the United Nations of botching efforts to end the three-month-old civil war, which has left 30,000 people dead or wounded.More than half the Horn of Africa nation's population of 8.4 million is believed threatened with starvation, relief officials say.
The officials are heading to the Somali capital of Mogadishu following the adjournment of an Organization of African Unity summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the United Nations announced Wednesday.
On Feb. 14, the United Nations reported winning cease-fire agreements from representatives of Mohamed and Aidid. But heavy fighting has continued.