At least 55 people die in fighting between two clans in Somalia

Residents and medical officials said on Monday that at least 55 people had died and 155 more had been injured in a violent conflict between two tribes in central Somalia over the weekend.

The federal administration of Somalia is dealing with clan-based conflicts over land and water in the Horn of Africa nation in addition to trying to curb the carnage that the Al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab group has unleashed.

Fighting broke out on Saturday over grazing territory and watering spots in the Galmudug region between the Dir and Marihan tribes, who had previously fought al Shabaab together, according to Farah Nur, a clan elder and Herale resident.

Government troops arrived belatedly. Regretfully, both clans lost 55 members in the deaths,” he told Reuters.

“Stopping the conflict was simple, but it didn’t happen. The circumstance spiraled out of control and caught fire.”

When Reuters asked senior Galmudug officials for their thoughts on the situation, they did not answer right away.

Reuters was informed by hospital staff in Herale, Abuwaq, and two other nearby towns that they had treated 115 victims of the fighting. The dead were buried right away, according to the locals.

After the federal government soldiers arrived, the violence stopped, according to the residents.

“A truce exists, but things are not going well. “We need a permanent ceasefire,” four-mother Sadia Hussein told Reuters from Abudwaq.