U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed grave concern at the violence in Somalia. VOA's Peter Heinlein at U.N. headquarters reports officials also fear the consequences of Somalia's burgeoning humanitarian crisis.

The prime minister of Somalia's transitional government is claiming victory over insurgents in Mogadishu. But a former member of parliament denies that the transitional government is in control of the volatile capital. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

As long as the fighting continues in Somalia, relief operations are unable to keep up with the humanitarian crisis that's emerging. Philippe Lazzerini is the head of office for Somalia at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. From Nairobi, he gave VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua an overview of the relief operations.

Over 320,000 people have now fled Mogadishu since the beginning of February to escape the ongoing fighting. And it's been very difficult for humanitarian agencies to reach all those in need.

Mortar shells killed more civilians in Mogadishu today, and sent hundreds more fleeing the Somali capital in the biggest mass exodus in the last 16 years. Battles since April 18 pitting Somali and Ethiopian troops against Islamist insurgents have killed at least 131 people.

Residents in Somalia's capital say at least 30 people have been killed and at least 100 wounded in two days of intense fighting between insurgents and Ethiopian troops that support the government.

The UN refugee agency says it hopes to begin distributing 28 tons of relief supplies over the weekend to thousands of Somalis displaced by the fighting in the capital, Mogadishu. Most of those in need have fled the city.

A senior Arab League official says the conference to reconcile Somalia's warring factions has been postponed until mid-May for security reasons. The league's head of African affairs, Samir Hosni, made the announcement in Cairo Wednesday as new violence broke out in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The government in Eritrea is angrily denying U.S. accusations that it is supporting insurgents in Somalia in order to fight a proxy war against Eritrea's arch rival, Ethiopia. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has details from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

European Union diplomats say they are investigating whether Ethiopian and Somali government forces have committed war crimes in Somalia. The investigation was apparently triggered by an e-mail sent to Eric van der Linden, the EU ambassador to Kenya.

The United States Tuesday urged greater international support for African Union peacekeeping in Somalia. The State Department appeal came as senior U.S., European and African diplomats convened in Cairo to discuss the worsening violence in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - or OCHA - says it's extremely alarmed about deteriorating conditions for civilians in Mogadishu.