MOGADISHU, Somalia — At least 51 people have been killed in three rounds of violent clashes between two Somali clan militias in Da’awaley town, Ethiopia’s Somali region.
The battle erupted over a grazing land dispute. The first two rounds of fighting took place on Wednesday and Friday last week, resulting in multiple casualties on both sides.
Witnesses, speaking to Mareeg Online by phone, confirmed that a deadlier clash followed on December 25, fuelling the violence.
Despite the fighting occurring within Ethiopia’s Somali region, one clan’s territory extends into Somaliland, sparking condemnation from Somaliland authorities.
Somaliland’s Minister of Internal Security, Abdalle Mohamed Arab, accused the Somali region’s Liyuu Police of attacking Da’awaley, causing the violence, and inflicting widespread destruction.
Minister Arab also said that the Liyuu Police abducted traditional elders who were traveling to Da’awaley to mediate the conflict peacefully, escalating the situation further.
“We contacted and informed the Ethiopian government of the events in Da’awaley and the atrocities committed by the Liyuu Police,” Arab said.
Edna Aden Ismail, the special envoy to the president of Somaliland, said they had registered 151 casualties, with 59 dead on their way to hospitals.
She also called on the international community, saying, “These refugees, now numbering in the thousands, will need homes, shelter, and protection to return to their homes.”
In response, the Somali region of Ethiopia denied the allegation, stating that gunmen crossing from the border with Somaliland attacked its security forces.
“The region accused the gunmen of causing chaos in the pastoral area between Harshin and Yo’aale towns in recent days. They also killed several regional police officers sent to maintain peace.”
“The region’s statement also accused Somaliland of ‘misinterpreting the issues within the Somali region, contrary to good neighborliness.'”
The Somali region did not disclose the total number of fatalities from the fighting. Officials from both sides met on Thursday in Jigjiga to find a solution to the conflict.
