Fighting between rival forces kill 29 in central Somali city
Nearly 30 people have been killed in fierce clashes between regional forces in the central Somali city of Galkayo, which is divided between two semi-autonomous regions.
Local officials from the regions of Puntland and Galmudug confirmed the clashes on Monday and said 50 others were also wounded.
Officials from Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland and the neighboring region of Galmudug confirmed the clashes on Monday and said 50 others were also wounded.
Colonel Mohamed Aden, a military officer in Puntland, said 16 soldiers serving in the region’s armed forces had been killed and 30 been wounded since the outbreak of violence on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Hirsi Yusuf Barre, mayor of southern Galkayo, said 13 forces died and 20 others were wounded in the region of Galmudug.
The clans in the two Somali regions have a history of disputes over land and water resources.
The latest clashes erupted after a dispute over buildings planned to be built in Galkayo.
Despite efforts by the central government to resolve tribal disputes and militancy, parts of the country still remain under the control of clans and militias.
The African country has also been the scene of deadly clashes between government forces and al-Shabab militants since 2006.
The Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants have been pushed out of Mogadishu, and other major cities by government and African Union troops, but they continue to carry out incursions in the capital city.
The country has not seen a powerful central government since the former dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre, was toppled by warlords in 1991.
Clashes between rival factions as well as famine and disease have claimed the lives of over one million people in the past two decades.
Some 1.4 million people are internally displaced in Somalia, over 300,000 of whom are staying in the capital.
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