At least five people were killed in an inter-clan revenge attack in southern Somalia, shattering a lull in such violence since Islamists took control of the region, witnesses said on Wednesday.
Four people were killed on the spot and a fifth died being taken to hospital after gunmen stormed a crowded cafe late on Tuesday in the town of Wanlaweyne and unleashed a barrage of gunfire on patrons, they said.
”Four armed men sneaked into the town at night and opened fire on people drinking tea, killing four instantly,” said Hussein Moalim, a local militia commander. ”Another one died on his way to hospital.”
”I was inside my teashop when I heard heavy gunfire and saw people sprawled on the ground,” cafe owner Mariam Abdullah told Agence France-Presse. ”It was really shocking, their blood was splattered all over.”
The exact motive behind the attack was not immediately clear, but residents said it involved long-standing animosity between the rival Galjecel and Habergidir sub-clans.
The two groups have staged frequent attacks on each other in and around Wanlaweyne, about 90km south of Mogadishu, since Somalia collapsed into anarchy 16 years ago.
But the region had been calm since militia allied to Somalia’s increasingly powerful Islamist movement took control of the town in June and began to enforce strict Sharia law, according to residents.
”We have never seen such incidents lately,” said Abdulkadir Nur, a Wanlaweyne businessman. ”Every one of us was shocked by the killings.”
There was no immediate response to the incident from the Islamic courts, which have won popular growing support by restoring a semblance of law and order to areas they control. — Sapa-AFP