Mudug War Sacad versus Agoon Dagaalkii Galool iyo Towfiq

XASUUSO —-DAGAALKII GALOOL IYO TOWFIIQ QORAAL U.N IYO WAREYSI DAYIB ( ALLE HA NAXARIISTO)

GOBATAA DAGAAL WAXAA KU DHINTAY 43 QOF ILAA SAGASHAN QOFNA WAA KU DHAWAC MATAY AYUU MAQAALKA IRIN SHEEGAYAA OO KALA WAREYSTAY NIN SACADA IYO MARXUUN DAYIB ( ALLE HA NAXARIISTEE OO REER AGOON AHAA) LANA DILAY XILIGII DAGALKAN DHACAY JULY,2003 KADIB

NAIROBI, 10 Jul 2003 (IRIN) – Two days of heavy fighting in the south of Mudug region, have left at least 43 people dead and over 90 injured, a local journalist in the regional capital Galkayo told IRIN on Thursday.

The fighting broke out on Tuesday between the Sa’ad, Habar Gedir subclan and the Dir, and was concentrated in and around the villages of Towfiq and Awle, some 200 km east of Galkayo, the journalist Dahir Abdulkadir Aflow said. The two villages are populated by the Dir.

The clashes were triggered by revenge killings for the deaths of two Sa’ad men in Galkayo last week, but the ensuing escalation of violence was also attributed to disagreements over water and grazing in the area, Aflow said. “It is more about water and grazing land right now.”

“Unfortunately, this is something that happens when nomads in search of pasture and water collide with each other,” he said. This particular clash between the two clans had been “exacerbated by the easy availability of heavy weapons”.

“Previously they used spears or guns but now both sides are using technicals [battlewagons fitted with heavy machine guns],” he said. “In an area with little cover for concealment, the casualty figures are bound to be high.”

He added that the casualty toll was likely to rise once the fighting stopped and both sides could take their wounded to hospitals.

Abdullahi Dayib of the Dir clan told IRIN that among those killed from his clan were three women and four children.

The fighting has reportedly displaced hundreds of families who have no access to wells or water points, Dayib said. He stressed the need for help, “but given the lack of roads and current insecurity in the area, I doubt if anyone will come to their aid”.