"The Somali extremists and their foreign allies started this latest fighting which has led to the deaths and displacement of ordinary Somalis, many of whom only recently returned home hoping to restart their lives," said Mr Ould-Abdallah. "In their attempt to seize power, these extremists have clearly shown their lack of regard for their innocent Moslem brothers and sisters."

He said the Somali people needed urgent help and called on the international community to step forward.

"I would urge concerned Governments to move quickly to provide direct bilateral assistance to the Somali Government," he said. "Once again the lives of civilians have been turned upside down by fighters who have no interest in helping them. Civilians need basic assistance such as clean water, medicine, blankets and shelter and they need it now.

"The Somali people remain confident that they will finally see an end to the unnecessary violence of the past two decades. Unfortunately the extremists, who are themselves divided, are trying to drag the country back to the bloodshed of the early 1990s. The international community has made it very clear that this is completely unacceptable."