MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Fighting over access to water and pasture in central Somalia has left at least 16 people dead and 30 wounded in battles that have involved hundreds of clan fighters, witnesses said yesterday.

The fighting in Belet Weyn, 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of Mogadishu, began Monday afternoon and continued yesterday morning, witnesses reached by two-way radio and telephone said.

The battle centers on a bridge in the middle of town and follows two weeks of arguments over access to wells and pasture.

Medics in the town said 16 people, mostly fighters, were confirmed dead and they were treating 30 wounded. Some civilians were caught in the crossfire, they said on condition they not be named for fear of retribution.

Elders from other clan groups were attempting to negotiate a cease-fire yesterday, but had not had any success by midday.

Somalia has been without a central government since clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Warlords then turned on each other, plunging the Horn of Africa nation of 7 million into anarchy.

A new government, formed in neighbouring Kenya in 2004, is opposed by Islamic extremists and some of the dozens of warlords in the country. So far it has been unable to return home because of the lack of security.

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