One SOS co-worker was killed today and four seriously injured as a result of heavy missile bombardment in and around the SOS Children's Village Mogadishu. The village is located in northern Mogadishu where many fighters opposing the government are based.

As Ethiopian and Somali troops battle to rid Mogadishu of insurgents the occupants of the SOS Children's Village and the SOS Hospital have become innocent victims of war. SOS Children's Villages is mourning the death of an SOS aunt and is deeply concerned about the injured co-workers, amongst them an SOS mother and another SOS aunt.

Using heavy tank missiles the government and Ethiopian forces today bombarded the area around the children's village. At least four missiles landed on the children's village and the SOS Hospital. The hospital is still functioning and treating the wounded. The killed person is an SOS aunt who was recently employed by SOS Children's Villages. The injured include an SOS mother who, due to the severity of her injuries, is being cared for at the Red Cross Hospital, and an SOS aunt.

All the children are safe in the reinforced bunker in the village. According to reports the fighting around the village has now stopped but the damage to the project is not yet known.