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Hargeysa, Somaliland, July 18,
2009 – At least 700 families in Somaliland have been displaced following
clashes between two clans over ownership of Elberdale farmland in
Gabiley region, local officials said.
Seven people were reportedly killed in the 10-12 July clashes between
militiamen of Hared and Mohamoud Nour clans.
Elabe Mohamoud Hufane, the deputy mayor of Dilla in Awdal region, told
IRIN between 400 and 500 families were displaced in his region alone.
"These families are now without shelter and they lost a significant
number of their livestock during the clashes," Hufane said. "We know two
persons were killed in the conflict and five others were injured; four
are missing."
The latest clashes marked the fourth time armed conflict has broken out
in the Elberdale farmland in the past six months between the Hared and
Mohamoud Nour clans. The two are claiming ownership of the land and
efforts to resolve the dispute have so far failed.
Khadra H. Gaydh, the deputy mayor of Gabiley, said more than 400
families in the area had been displaced and that government officials
had confirmed five deaths although witnesses on the ground put the
figure at 11.
A villager who requested anonymity said: "Four people were killed after
they were kidnapped on 12 July and seven others were killed in the
conflict."
Following the clashes, Halo Trust - an NGO undertaking demining in the
area - suspended its operations in Ruqi, near the Elberdale farmland.
"We cannot risk [the lives] of our staff in the area because of the
instability," a field official said, requesting anonymity.
The farmers among those displaced expressed concern for their
livelihoods, saying they had fled during the planting season.
"We lost the first planting season in the early Gu [long rains] and now
we are forced to flee during the current planting season," Omar Aden
told IRIN.
The latest fighting followed a meeting between Somaliland President
Dahir Rayale Kahin and the Gabiley elders over the dispute.
Calling for peace, the presidency appealed to clan elders from both
sides to broker a ceasefire.
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Source: IRIN, July 16, 2009
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