WORLD IN BRIEF : KENYA : Somali Rebels Seek Food, Medical Aid

Rebels in devastated Somalia appealed for the world not to let their need for food, medical aid and other assistance be forgotten in the concern over the Persian Gulf War. Thousands would die in that event, the Somali National Movement said in a radio broadcast monitored in Nairobi, Kenya. Years of sparring between the authoritarian government of President Siad Barre and numerous rebel groups erupted in brutal fighting three weeks ago, littering streets with corpses, driving all Western aid agencies and embassy officials out of the capital and creating tens of thousands of refugees in neighboring countries.