Mogadishu - At least 38 people were killed yesterday in renewed fighting in the Somali capital that sent thousands of civilians running from their homes, medical officials and a militia commander said.

According to reports collected from Mogadishu's main hospitals, at least 30 people were killed when Islamist militias and their secular rivals clashed after a day's lull. Ali Muhammad Siyad, an Islamist militia leader, said his group had lost eight fighters. In addition, Medina hospital received 60 injured people and Keysaney hospital 30. A spokesman for Medina hospital said a mortar landed in the hospital's first aid section, killing a patient and injuring two others.

Witnesses said the fighting had spread across Mogadishu from the north, which had been the scene of fierce battles in recent weeks.

The latest fighting came despite a ceasefire 12 days ago between the rival groups. Civilians caught in the crossfire had been the main victims of previous fighting in northern Mogadishu. No public transport vehicles were visible yesterday and schools remained closed for the second day. Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, the parliamentary speaker, told AP he was saddened by the escalation and appealed to the international community to help stop the fighting.

Somalia has been embroiled in some of the worst fighting in more than a decade in recent weeks. The Islamists portray themselves as capable of bringing order to the country, which has been without a real government since clan-based warlords overthrew Muhammad Siad Barre, the president, in 1991. The secular alliance, which includes members of a UN-backed interim government, accuses the Islamists of having ties to al-Qaida.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a leading Islamist on America's most wanted terrorists list, told Reuters from Mogadishu this week the charges were "pure propaganda". "There are no terrorists here. They are only looking for a reason to turn our country into another Iraq," he said.