While much attention is being focused on Kenya’s political turmoil, the situation in neighboring Somalia has gotten worse in recent weeks. The violence continues on a daily basis and more people are being displaced.

At least eight people have been killed and 26 wounded in gunbattles between security forces and insurgents in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

The U.N. refugee agency reports between February and May, more than 400,000 civilians fled the Somali capital Mogadishu. This was sparked by heavy fighting between the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government and insurgents. The UNHCR says another 27,000 people have fled renewed violence since June.

The U.N. Refugee Agency says weeks of violence in Somalia's capital prompted 3,500 people to flee the city in June, even as many people returned to Mogadishu.

A roadside bomb has killed two soldiers and wounded several civilians in Somalia's violent capital. Witnesses say the bomb Thursday targeted a military convoy in northern Mogadishu. There are conflicting reports on whether the dead soldiers were Somalis or Ethiopians. At least four civilians were wounded in the blast.

One day after Somalia's interim government postponed a national reconciliation conference for the third time in three months, some residents of Mogadishu are expressing doubt the conference can be held while Ethiopian troops are in the country. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in Mogadishu reports that a late-night gun battle Wednesday between Ethiopian troops and insurgents in south Mogadishu has caused more people to flee their homes.

An Italian official says Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf will allow members of the ousted Islamic Courts Union to take part in next month's reconciliation conference. But deputy foreign affairs minister Patrizia Sentinelli says the ICU members would have renounce violence and be chosen by their clans.

The World Food Program says it is taking advantage of the current lull in fighting in Somalia to step up its food assistance to thousands of displaced people. It has begun a second round of food distributions to 122,500 people.

A hidden roadside bomb exploded in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, killing four African Union peacekeepers and wounding another five. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi reports that Iraq-style guerilla attacks are on the rise in Somalia.

People displaced by the recent fighting in Somalia - the worst in 16 years - are gradually returning to parts of the capital, Mogadishu, but fear is preventing others from going back to areas where the military still has a strong presence, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

Deeply deploring the civilian deaths resulting from renewed fighting in Somalia, the Security Council today urged the country's Government to reach out to all segments of the war-torn country's society, while demanding that the warring parties allow relief aid to reach those in need.

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.