By HAN News Desk
MOGADISHU– A woman identified as Madiino Jimcaale Wehliye was shot dead late Saturday between Xinlabi and Seego villages in Somalia’s Mudug region after gunmen opened fire on a vehicle she was traveling in, in what authorities and locals describe as part of an ongoing wave of clan-related violence.
According to family members who spoke to the local media, the armed men ambushed the car at close range, instantly killing Madiino and wounding her teenage son, who was rushed to a nearby medical facility for treatment. The attackers fled the scene before security forces arrived.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the attack may have been motivated by a revenge killing tied to long-standing clan disputes between communities in Mudug and the neighboring Galgaduud region. The conflict, reportedly triggered by a recent murder in Galgaduud, has deepened tensions across central Somalia, where traditional mediation efforts have repeatedly failed.
Local elders say the latest killing is part of a pattern of escalating tit-for-tat violence that has gripped the central regions for months. In October alone, at least nine people were killed and several others wounded in a series of similar incidents near Godinlabe, Balanbale, and Harardhere, according to local media and community reports.
Just last week, three men were ambushed and killed in southern Galgaduud in what authorities also described as a clan revenge attack. Several villages have since reported residents fleeing their homes in fear of reprisals.
Residents say the continued cycle of violence has devastated livelihoods, hindered humanitarian access, and made major roads unsafe for travel. “People are scared to move between districts,” said one elder in Galkayo. “Every week, there is a killing somewhere — it’s destroying our communities.”
Clan-based conflicts remain one of the biggest security challenges facing the Galmudug regional administration, which has struggled to disarm militias and enforce reconciliation agreements.
Despite repeated calls for calm, local authorities in Galmudug have yet to issue a formal statement on Saturday’s attack. Meanwhile, community leaders are urging the federal government and peacekeeping forces to intervene and help prevent further bloodshed.
