MOGADISHU, (insidesomalia.org) - Hundreds of youths in Somalia's capital lobbed stones at shops and cars, and set tires ablaze in the streets Tuesday in a second day of violence over soaring food prices.

The protests also have been driven by shopkeepers' refusal to accept some bank notes, apparently out of concern that so many bills are counterfeit. On Tuesday, however, shop owners met and agreed to begin accepting the notes again.

Residents of Mogadishu protested high food prices in front of a buring barricade Monday.

Tuesday's unrest wasn't as widespread as a day earlier, when tens of thousands took to the streets in rioting that spread to all 13 districts of the capital.

Protests were confined to the city's Dharkenley and Wadajir neighborhoods on Tuesday. But shops across the city remained shuttered, with traders fearing the riot could spread and prompt looting.

"Down with those printing the fake money!" the young men yelled, denouncing the growing number of counterfeiters who have contributed to escalating prices. "Down with opportunists!"

The Mogadishu Traders' Union said it decided to again accept the old 18,000-shilling notes and ordered its private security units to enforce that at the city's main Bakara market. "We, the big traders, have already decided to accept the old note and today we want to tell other businesses also to accept the decision," said Abas Mohamed Duale, deputy chairman of the union.

Protests and riots over rising food prices have hit other nations recently, including Haiti, Egypt, Cameroon and Burkina Faso. The price of rice and other staples has risen more than 40% since mid-2007.

The Asian Development Bank said Monday that a billion poor people in Asia need food aid to help cope with the skyrocketing prices. The United Nations food security unit warned last week that half of Somalia's population of seven million faces famine. It blamed an enduring drought as well as soaring food prices.

Soaring fuel prices, growing demand from the burgeoning middle classes in India and China and poor weather have contributed to the jump in food prices world-wide. Africa has been particularly hard-hit.

In Mogadishu, the price of corn meal has more than doubled since January. Rice has risen during the same period from $26 to $47.50 for a 110-pound sack. The cost of food also has been driven up by the plummeting Somali shilling, which has lost nearly half its value against the dollar this year because of growing insecurity and a market clogged with millions of counterfeit notes. The shilling has tumbled from about 17,000 per dollar to about 30,000.

Separately, Islamic fighters said an overnight U.S. airstrike blasted a remote area of central Somalia hours after armed civilians met there, but no one was hurt. The fighters spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. There was no immediate confirmation of an attack from the U.S. military. Last week, a U.S. airstrike killed the suspected al Qaeda leader in Somalia and 24 other people.