Mystery illness hits peace force

NAIROBI: Three Burundian peacekeepers in Somalia have died from an unknown illness and 18 more are in a Kenyan hospital with the same symptoms, according to an African Union official.
"The AU and the Burundian government have dispatched a team of medical experts to ascertain what has caused the illness," said Gaffel Nkolokosa, a spokesman for the AU envoy to Somalia.
"Twenty-one soldiers were evacuated earlier this week after exhibiting similar symptoms and three of those have since died," he said, refusing to speculate on the cause of the illness or what the symptoms were,Somalia's transitional government is hemmed into a few blocks of the capital Mogadishu by rebels bent on toppling President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and imposing their own harsh version of Sharia law throughout the country.Western nations fear that if the al Shabaab group seizes control of Somalia, they could destabilise neighbouring countries and train militants to launch attacks elsewhere. At least 15 people were killed and 53 wounded in fighting in Mogadishu that started on Wednesday, said a member of an ambulance service.
An estimated 223 000 people have fled Mogadishu since May 7, when fighting erupted between government troops and al Shabaab. - Reuters