By HAN News Desk
GALGADUUD – The Galmudug regional state has witnessed some of the deadliest clan fighting in recent months, with the violence escalating to alarming levels as women and children become deliberate targets.
For months, parts of Galgaduud region have been engulfed in recurring inter-clan clashes fueled by disputes over grazing land and cycles of revenge. The latest wave of violence has shocked many Somalis, as it violates long-held traditional norms that protected women and children during conflict.
In October, a brutal attack in the Qaayib area claimed the lives of a Somali mother and her three young daughters. Though the perpetrators were later captured and sentenced by the Galgaduud Regional Court to five years in prison, the tragedy exposed the deepening humanitarian and moral crisis in Galmudug.
Only weeks later, on November 1st, another armed group launched a revenge attack in Guudoole village, killing Amina Jimale, a woman in her sixties, and seriously injuring her. Security forces later arrested six suspects believed to be behind the killing.
Residents say these incidents are part of a disturbing pattern of revenge attacks that increasingly target the most vulnerable members of society. Several reports also indicate that women and children have been abducted in northern Galgaduud as part of tribal retaliation campaigns.
Community elders and human rights advocates have condemned the violence, saying it represents a dangerous erosion of traditional Somali conflict codes that forbade harm to noncombatants.
“This is not only a clan war—it’s a moral collapse,” said one elder from the area. “When mothers and children become targets, the fabric of our society is being torn apart.”
Observers warn that without stronger local reconciliation efforts and accountability mechanisms, Galmudug could see further deterioration of security and humanitarian conditions.
