Hundreds of families fled their homes in Mogadishu's densely populated southwestern Medina district, after fierce clashes between rival militia factions broke out on February 26. Over 50 people had been killed, most of them civilians caught in the crossfire. In one incident, a mortar bomb landed on a Koranic school, killing eight schoolchildren and their teacher. While some families remained to safeguard their homes from looting militiamen, Medina was described as a "ghost town". - Adam Geibel