Wednesday, December 03, 2008
The Burundi soldier died of injuries sustained in the clash late Tuesday near his contingent's southern Mogadishu base, Burundi army spokesman Clement Cinen told AFP.
"The fighting in the former military academy last night, where our forces are based, left one of our soldiers injured but unfortunately he died later in hospital," Cinen said.
"There were no other casualties in that fighting."
Islamist insurgents often target the AU peacekeeping force as well as Ethiopian backed government forces who regained control of much of the country from the militants in early 2007.
Burundi has a total of 1,700 soldiers in Somalia with the 3,400-strong AU force, which is expected to eventually number 8,000.
Former African leaders in the AU's Panel of the Wise urged the United Nations to form a stabilisation force for Somalia after Ethiopia announced last week it would withdraw its troops by the end of the year, sparking fears of a security vacuum.
Source: AFP, Dec 03, 2008