Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Clan militiamen in Beledweyne town (Photo/HOL)
BELEDWEYNE (HOL) –At least four people have been killed in ongoing clashes between two rival clan militias in the central Somali town of Beledweyne, witnesses said Tuesday.
The fighting involving Galje’el and Jajele clans’ militiamen erupted in Howlwadaag neighborhood followed two separate killings of two men by attackers suspected to be from the two sides this week.
“I saw four dead bodies; the number of causalities may increase.” One witness told HOL by phone.
Militiamen from the two clans have also clashed over control of pastureland in the town late last year.
The number of causalities from the two warring sides so far remains unclear, however, witnesses reported chaotic scenes in the town as the two sides exchanged shelling and gunfire as government and African Union forces in the town watched from afar.
Clan rivalry and civil unrest started in the horn of Africa after warlords overthrew the central government in 1991, leading to a perpetual civil strife that have since killed thousands of Somalis.
HOL will keep you posted for any further updates as they come.