Fighting in Mahas lulls as sides accepted cease fire

Traditional elders in Hiiraan region are confirmed to have successful ended a dispute between two clan militias in Mahas district these days while National Army are in the battled zones.

Elder, Hussein Usubow speaking to Goobjoog News said the two sides accepted their peace efforts towards to stop the bloodshed and come to the negotiating table, saying all clans in the region attended the ceasefire agreement reached.

“The sides accepted cease fire and Somali national Army (SNA) soldiers have been deployed in bottled zone. The both sides have an appointment to come the negotiating table” he said.

Hiran Administration put joint forces into the warring sides’ battle area in order to halt further clashes and make the ceasefire a sustainable one and called for the parts concerned to keep calm and solve the problem on the table.

Somalia has seen many deadly clan conflicts since warlords overthrew the central government led by the late Somali president Siad Barre. The wars, which began as struggle for control of the government, quickly degenerated into predatory looting, banditry, and occupation of valuable real estate by conquering clan militias.

Young gunmen fought principally to secure war booty, and were under only the loosest control of militia commanders, according to a 2005 report by the World Bank.

The collapse of the central state led to fragmentation and an economy of plunder that brought leaders into conflict with other leaders, sometimes from the same clan, vying for control of the same local area and resources.