At least 120 killed in fighting between army and paramilitary group

Fighting in Somalia’s Galmudug state between the army and its former ally, the Ahl al-Sunnah Wal Jama’a (ASWJ) paramilitary group, has claimed the lives of 120 people in the past three days, according to a senior official.

Analysts and residents allege that the clashes divert former allies from their main goal, the defeat of al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels.

“At least 120 people have been killed and 600 injured on both sides,” said Hassan Yare, an ASWJ official, adding that his group would fight “until the last man is killed.”

Ahmed Sire Falagle, Galmudug State Intelligence Minister, said 16 government soldiers had been killed and another 45 wounded in the three-day battle. He was unable to name the number of casualties on the other hand, but said the paramilitary group had been trapped and government forces “hoped to finish with them in the next few hours”.

Fighting broke out on Saturday in the Gurisil district. The United Nations estimates that at least 100,000 people have been displaced.

The ASWJ, a group of moderate Muslim Sufis, was at the forefront of the fight against al-Shabab. But he says the federal government has failed to repel the insurgents and that security conditions in Galmudug are deteriorating. The government, on the other hand, accuses the ASWJ of acting without its consent, which the armed group denies.

The clash between them began in February 2020, when many people were killed after soldiers attacked a house where ASWJ leaders had gathered. Earlier this month, federal forces launched a “precautionary” operation against the group, which retaliated and captured Gurisil.

Galmudug Security Minister Ahmed Moallem Fiki has resigned, accusing the federal government of rejecting calls not to attack the ASWJ.