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58 die in clashes between rival Somali clans

22 April 2012 05:09 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 58 people have been killed and 67 more injured in fierce clashes between rival clans in the Mudug region of central Somalia, APA reports citing Press TV.

A bloody battle broke out on Saturday in Dabagalo town, located 493 kilometers (306 miles) northeast of Mogadishu, which lasted for several hours.

The fighting between the Ayr and Suleyman sub-clans of the Habargidir clan was triggered by long-standing hostilities over ownership of grazing land and water wells.

Some of the injured have been taken to hospital in Galkayo, the capital of the Mudug region.

Tension is still high in the area and many residents have fled due to rumors that the two clans are amassing fighters for another battle.

Somalia has not had a functioning central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The weak Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab fighters for the past five years and is propped up by a 12,000-strong African Union force from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.