NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali rebels battling to oust President Mohamed Siad Barre said today they controlled nearly all the capital of Mogadishu and appealed to his forces to surrender.

"We hope that by tonight the city will be completely liberated," a spokesman for the rebel United Somali Congress said in Rome.

Chaotic conditions were reported in Mogadishu, where Siad Barre's government has been under rebel siege for a week. Siad Barre's family fled to the United Arab Emirates, according to diplomatic sources.

The diplomatic sources in the United Arab Emirates had earlier said Siad Barre himself was aboard a plane that landed in Abu Dhabi, but later said it was unclear whether he was among the approximately 70 people aboard.

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates has been a financial supporter of Somalia. Both countries are members of the Arab League.