The conflict began early Wednesday morning when “special police forces” from the zone and militias from the neighboring Yoale District attacked people in Dacawaley locailty.
Eyewitnesses confirmed to APA that the fighting was a continuation of clashes that began on 19 December, triggered by a longstanding land dispute between two subclans—Isaaq and Ogaden—residing in the area.
According to the eyewitnesses, elders from Harshin district had traveled to Dacawaley dispute to mediate the earlier conflict. However, they were ambushed Wednesday by local militias, leading to the deaths of some elders and the abduction of several others.
One of the informants said that pastoral clans in the area have had protracted disputes over land. This informant noted that tensions escalated on November 20, 2024, when an armed group killed the head of Yoale district’s security office along with two civilians.
The eyewitnesses told APA also said that on 19 December, armed men attacked a reconciliation committee formed to address the tensions, injuring one soldier. The informant claimed that armed groups have since launched multiple attacks, with the latest violence involving armed groups from the neighboring Somaliland breakaway region.
In a statement released yesterday, Somaliland’s Minister of Internal Security, Abdalle Mohamed Arab, condemned the attack allegedly carried out by “special police forces,” describing the incident as “a massacre” targeting “innocent civilians, primarily pastoralists, in an act that flagrantly violates human rights and the principles of governance.”
MG/abj/APA