Thursday July 17, 2025
FILE — Militiamen maneuver technical vehicles in a rural area in central Somalia.
The fighting broke out at dawn between armed militias from clans based in the Guriceel and Elbur districts. Residents said the violence was sparked by a string of retaliatory killings in recent weeks, escalating into a full-scale gun battle.
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“People woke up to gunfire. Some of the injured were civilians who had nothing to do with the conflict,” said a local elder who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.The injured include both fighters and civilians, with some reportedly in critical condition. No official statement has been released by the Galmudug regional administration, despite mounting public concern over the loss of life.
The latest clash is part of a recurring pattern of clan-based violence across Galmudug, where disputes over land, political representation, and past grievances frequently erupt into armed confrontations. Community leaders say the lack of a robust conflict resolution framework and weak state presence in rural areas have allowed tensions to fester.