Somali leader urges calm after clashes in north

MOGADISHU, May 26 (AFP): Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has urged troops from two rival provinces to halt their fire after heavy clashes in a disputed northern border region left several dead.

Tensions in the unrecognised breakaway northern state of Somaliland and the semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland erupted into violence Thursday around the border town of Tukaraq in Sool, a disputed desert region claimed by both sides.

"I want to send a plea to the Somalis who are shedding blood in Tukaraq town: I call for an urgent cessation of fire and an end to the bloodshed," said the president at a mosque on Friday.

Both sides blamed the other for starting the violence without confirming any casualties, although one local elder said troops from both camps had been killed.