GALKAYO (SMN) – At least seven people are reported to died and five others sustained wounds in fresh clan conflict in central Somalia, residents said.
The fighting between two tribal militias erupted on the outskirts of Afbarwaqo town, which is located in Mudug region on Sunday.
It began after militia from Puntland side attacked rival clan fighters in a rural area, sparking a bloody confrontation that claimed the lives of seven civilians.
As of now, the battle is underway with both sides received reinforcements from their respective clans, according to the war zone residents who spoke to Radio Shabelle by phone.
It remains unclear what triggered the armed conflict but such hostilities are caused by disputes over grazing lands and boreholes among nomad communities.
Puntland and Galmudug state are yet to speak on the ongoing fighting near Afbarwaqo area but local elders are trying to intervene in the fued, according to the reports.
The violence comes as Somalia is hit by a drought that effected half of the country’s population estimating 8 million people due to five years of failed rainy seasons.
