Hiiraan Online
Monday October 19, 2015
BELEDWEYNE (HOL) - Heavily armed rival militia factions have clashed in the central Somali town of Beledweyne, killing at least eight people, including civilians.
Witnesses said the fighting followed a prolonged dispute involving an extortion money collected from cars using the toll road between the town and Ethiopian regions.
The fighting which started in the early hours of Monday has intensified after the two sides received reinforcements which spanned out the standoff.
Security officials in the town told HOL that troops from the African Union are due to be deployed in the area to mediate the two sides and deploy peacekeepers who would monitor ceasefire.
Hospital sources told HOL that at least ten people have been brought to the town’s main hospital where doctors warned the imminent closure of the health facility due to shortages of medicine and supplies.
Previous heavy intra-clan fighting between the two militia groups has left dozens of people dead and many others injured.
Despite efforts aimed at rebuilding Somalia’s army, clan and freelance militias scattered throughout the country pose a greater challenge to the government which is trying to extend its rule across the country.
Checkpoints and extortion revenues often trigger fighting between militia factions in Somalia. The collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991 had led to the reign of warlords and militias who use checkpoints as an important income source.