Over 25 killed and eighty wounded in Galkaayo clashes

Over twenty five people killed and eighty others have been in fighting between Somalia’s two regional states in northern and central Somalia over a disputed border area in Galkaayo town, hospital sources and residents said Sunday.

The fighting erupted Sunday morning in Galkaayo, which is divided between the two state barely a week after the two inked ceasefire brokered by Emirati government.

Mohamed Abdullahi, a medical officer in the town said the clashes which flared up in one of Galkaayo suburbs, Galsoor, have led  death of twenty five people and wounded over eighty people including soldiers and civilians.

“The fighting has led highest number of injuries in a single day since the clashes over Galkaayo started, eighty people wounded,” said Abdullahi.

Muhibo Ali Elmi in Galsoor village said stray pullets killed two civilians and wounded three others.

“We have been staying indoors for hours but stray pullets hit several people leading the death of two people and injury of three others,” said Elmi.

Five days ago Puntland and Galmudug said in a joint statement they had agreed to a unilateral end of hostilities and that a peace process was in the works which would culminate in a lasting agreement to be signed in Kismayu later this month.

UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed concern over the renewal of the clashes between forces from Somalia’s Galmudug and Puntland states after the collapse of a weeklong ceasefire.

The OCHA said that while a peace agreement was reached on Nov. 1, clashes have erupted again leading unnecessary losses lives and properties as the situation in Galkaayo remained tense with armed forces call for reinforcement.

“More than 80,000 people were displaced from Galkayo town in Mudug region since armed violence broke out on Oct. 7,” the OCHA said in a report.

Galkayo is divided into two districts, with Galmudug governing the southern district and Puntland state the northern one.