'One more day here and I'll die'

Fierce street battles have trapped Mogadishu residents in their homes

Abdullahi Mohamed Hassan is trapped in his home in Mogadishu, surrounded by gunfire and mortar shelling.

The 25-year-old teacher of English is one of hundreds of thousands of Somali civilians caught up in fierce fighting between Islamist guerrillas and pro-government forces.

Mr Hassan e-mailed the BBC News website to tell of his ordeal alone without food and water as gunmen and looters circle his home, after his wife and daughter fled the war zone.

This is the worst fighting I have ever seen.

I have been trapped in my home for two days, with no food to eat.

Can you hear the gunfire outside? I am afraid for my life.

I am in the middle of a battle zone. The fighting is intense. I can't even open my front door.

Never has it been this intense, not in my life.

Abandoned

I am a resident in the war-affected district of Yaqshid, [northern] Mogadishu.

My wife and my daughter have fled, I gave them all the food we had left - very little Abdullahi Mohamed Hassan, Mogadishu Somalia crisis 'Africa's worst'

The village is empty because everyone has run away.

My family fled too - I have a wife and a young daughter.

They took their belongings and fled on foot to Elashbiyaha, just south of the city.

I gave them all the food we had left - very little. They will have run out by now.

They do not have even makeshift shelter to protect themselves from the cold and rain.

One million Somali are refugees in their own war-torn country

It is very difficult for me to contact them - they have no mobile phone.

I stayed here to protect our home from looters.

Many of the homes here which were abandoned have been very badly looted.

I am afraid - I can't sleep at night because I am always thinking of my life - and the gunfire around me.

I don't have anything to eat or drink. If I stay here one day longer, I might die of starvation.

Student shot

If this situation continues, I may have to run for my life. I am preparing myself for that.

The situation here is very desperate. Many people have been murdered.

My cousin was hit by a stray bullet - on his way home from high school. He's in intensive care in hospital.

Some of my friends died yesterday morning in the fighting - they were hit by stray bullets from the warriors.

Our situation is very appalling.

I ask for the both sides to halt fire and respect the value of the poor communities.

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