Residents and medical officials reported on Monday that a violent clash between two clans in central Somalia over the weekend resulted in at least 55 deaths and 155 injuries.
The Somali Federal Government is struggling to contain not only the violence from the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group but also inter-clan conflicts over land and water resources in the Horn of Africa nation.
Farah Noor, an elder from one of the clans residing in Herale, stated that the fighting between the Dir and Marehan clans, who have jointly fought Al-Shabaab for years, erupted on Saturday in the towns of Abudwaq and Herale in the Galmudug region due to disputes over grazing areas and water sources.
Noor told Reuters, “Government forces arrived late. Unfortunately, 55 people from both clans died.”
He added, “It could have been easily stopped, but it wasn’t. The situation spiraled out of control and spread like wildfire.”
Senior officials in Galmudug have yet to respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Hospital staff in Herale, Abudwaq, and two nearby towns confirmed to Reuters that they treated 115 people injured in the fighting.
Residents reported that the deceased were buried immediately.
They said the fighting ceased after federal government forces arrived.
Saadia Hussein, a mother of four in Abudwaq, told Reuters, “There is a ceasefire, but the atmosphere is not good. A permanent ceasefire is needed.”
