Clan viol ence
flares anew
New clan
violence erupts in Somalia October,152005
At least 15 killed in fierce fighting between heavily
armed rival members of hostile subclan in central
Somalia.
MOGADISHU -
At least 15 people, including women and children, were
killed and more than 20 wounded on Friday in fierce
fighting between heavily armed rival members of a
hostile subclan in central Somalia, elders said.
The
clashes among gunmen of the fractious Galjel subclan in
Bukakobo village in central Hiran region, about 300
kilometers (185 miles) north of Mogadishu, erupted over
an unresolved murder that occurred last year, they said.
"Fifteen people perished and more than 20 were
wounded," elder Hassan Mohamed Salah said, adding that
the sides had opened fire on each other with automatic
weapons, pick-up truck mounted machine guns and
rocket-propelled grenades. He said that the dead and
wounded included an unknown number of women and
children. Hiran governor, Yusuf Mohamed Hagar, said he
had sent mediators to attempt to broker a truce but that
they were not expected to arrive in Bukakobo until
Saturday.
"I am aware that more people were killed and wounded
by violence but I haven't received the exact figures of
people hurt," Hagar said. Witnesses said more than 100
families had fled the clashes to relatively peaceful
neighbouring regions that are not inhabited by the
warring Galjel factions.
Somalia has been without a functioning central
government and awash in clan-related violence for the
past 14 years since strongman Mohamed Siad Barre was
toppled in 1991 |
