Save the Children Fund, an international organization expressed "deep concern" Friday by reports of children killed and displaced in recent conflicts in Somalia in the semiautonomous region of Puntland.
"It is unfortunate that children’s lives and learning have been directly impacted by the conflict and that many families have been displaced from their homes at a time the country is faced with severe droughts and hunger," the agency said in a statement.
It urged a halt to the conflicts to allow children to access education, health and other basic services.
"Parties to the conflict should also ensure children and schools are never targets and should respect international humanitarian and human rights laws by taking all necessary actions to minimize incidental harm on children and civilian lives. Schools and other vital infrastructure such as hospitals should not be targeted" it added.
As of June, the UN verified 4,714 grave violations against 3,810 children in Somalia in which the killing and maiming of 1,087 children were reported.
"The recent clashes can only make the situation worse," said Save the Children.
Three days of conflict in the port city of Bosaso, the provincial capital of the northeastern province of Bari, has killed more than 20 people, including five siblings, authorities told Anadolu Agency.
The fighting began Tuesday after Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni dismissed the Puntland security forces (PSF) chief Mohamud Osman Diyano who refused to hand over his post.
The PSF was originally established by the US as an elite spy group to fight "terrorism" but later became powerful and challenged the highest authority in the semi-autonomous state.
Bosaso is a port city 1,414 kilometers (878 miles) northeast of the nation’s capital of Mogadishu
