Since Friday September 19, there has been a sharp rise in the number of admissions of war wounded civilians to Médecins Sans Frontières' (MSF) Daynile Hospital in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, amidst intensifying violence.
Of the 65 patients admitted to the emergency room since Friday, 53 were suffering from serious war-related injuries consistent with mortar blasts and gunshots. People arrived with abdominal, chest and head wounds. Several patients required immediate surgical intervention. Among the wounded were 13 women and 12 children under 16-years-old.
After a relative decrease in the number of people admitted to Daynile Hospital in July and August, the current spike corresponds with intensified fighting in densely populated residential areas in Mogadishu.
The MSF hospital in Daynile has treated more than 3,700 people suffering from traumatic injuries since the beginning of 2008. More than half are women and children under 14-years-old, with 50 percent of patients treated for war-related wounds.