There has been heavy fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, between troops of the interim government and fighters loyal to two warlords, Musa Sudi Yalahow and Mohammed Dhereh.

At least 62 people were killed, including civilians caught in the crossfire, and more than 100 wounded, Hussein Mohamed Aidid, chairman of the warlords' grouping, told the French news agency, AFP.

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Hundreds of residents have fled their homes.

The clashes were concentrated in the same northern area of the city where the interior minister's house was attacked last week and eight people killed.

The BBC's Hassan Barise in Mogadishu says the sound of heavy machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades could be heard reverberating around the city on Tuesday morning.

Mr Aidid and Mr Yalahow are both members of the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council, a grouping of warlords opposed to the Transitional National Government (TNG) and backed by neighbouring Ethiopia.

Looting

An AFP correspondent at the scene of the fighting witnessed the looting of a north Mogadishu police training centre after TNG police and soldiers fled the compound as Mr Yalahow's fighters advanced.

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Last week's clashes were between the interior minister's bodyguards and fighters loyal to a different warlord, Mohamed Dhereh.

Our correspondent, who has spoken to both sides, says each is blaming the other for starting the latest clashes.

Weakness

The TNG accuses Ethiopia of trying to overturn its rule and keep Somalia weak and divided.

Ethiopia denies these allegations and says the TNG is using it as a scapegoat for its failure to control its territory.

The TNG, led by President Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, was set up in 2000 in neighbouring Djibouti in an attempt to end the years of anarchy which followed the downfall of Siad Barre in 1991.

However, it only controls parts of Mogadishu and little territory outside the capital.