The UN refugee agency said on Friday that it was "gravely concerned" about the worsening displacement crisis in Somalia, where almost 170,000 people have fled the capital Mogadishu since a fresh wave of fighting erupted in early May.

Fighting between government forces and the opposition "is leaving a trail of civilian casualties, destruction and renewed displacement," William Spindler, spokesman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a news briefing in Geneva.

According to records of local Somali hospitals, more than 250 civilians have been killed and at least 900 wounded since the fighting erupted on May 7.

"We estimate that since the start of the fighting in May more than 169,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere within Somalia or in neighboring countries," Spindler said.

Between last Friday and Monday alone, an estimated 33,000 were displaced from Mogadishu due to the heavy fighting, he added.

The deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around Mogadishu, according to UNHCR.

"Our local partners that have been providing a lifeline to the IDPs (internally displaced persons) are facing growing security problems as they try to help the needy," Spindler said.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Kenya, the number of refugee arrivals from Somalia continues to rise. Since the beginning of the year, some 38,000 new refugees arrived in Kenya, virtually all of them Somalis.

Source: Xinhua