Mogadishu (WDN) — Two men were gunned down in a suspected clan revenge attack Saturday morning in the village of Koogaar, located within the coastal Cadale (Adale) District of Middle Shabelle, further underscoring the deepening crisis of tribal violence gripping central Somalia.

The victims have been identified as Muxudiin Caraale Aw-Cali, a respected elder and owner of Koogaar’s only water well, and Macalin (Teacher) Abdullahi Fanax, who had arrived in the village just a day earlier to launch a telecommunications venture.

“Muxudiin was a man of peace and one of the most generous in our village,” said Mohamed Xasan, a local resident who knew the victims. “We are devastated — this attack has reopened old wounds we thought had healed.”

Eyewitnesses say armed assailants fled immediately after the shooting. As of Saturday evening, no arrests had been made, and authorities in Cadale and the Hirshabelle administration have yet to issue a public statement.

Crisis with no end

The killings come amid a surge in inter-clan violence across Hirshabelle and neighboring Galmudug, where deadly clashes are increasing, often in remote villages where state presence is minimal.

According to security analysts, the violence has intensified partly due to the proliferation of weapons among tribal militias — many of whom were initially armed under the pretext of fighting Al-Shabaab.

“The federal government, under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, poured arms into central Somalia claiming it was to combat terrorism,” said Ibrahim Warsame, a Mogadishu-based security analyst. “But the reality on the ground is that those weapons have largely been turned on fellow Somalis, not terrorists.”

Ironically, the clans involved in Saturday’s incident had recently signed a truce, part of a broader reconciliation effort aimed at ending years of hostility. That peace now appears to be unraveling.

“This was a betrayal of a peace deal,” said Fartun Ali, a community organizer in Jowhar. “We sat under trees for weeks to mediate between these communities. The ink is barely dry, and now we are back to mourning.”

Civil society groups have warned for months that unless the Somali federal government reconsiders its security strategy and limits the flow of arms to clan-based groups, the situation will continue to deteriorate.

“Somalia cannot afford to replace one form of insecurity — Al-Shabaab — with another: tribal militias with unchecked power,” said Ugaas Mahad Shire, a traditional elder from Galmudug. “We are sleepwalking into a larger civil conflict.”

Silence from authorities

As families mourn, residents are calling for immediate intervention. “The government has to stop looking the other way,” said Halima Abukar, a youth activist from Cadale. “We are tired of burying loved ones while officials issue no statements and take no action.”

With tensions running high and fears of retaliatory attacks looming, elders in Koogaar are now urgently appealing for mediation and protection.

“We have no police, no administration, no safety,” one elder said, requesting anonymity. “Unless something changes, we may all be wiped out one by one.”

WDN will continue to follow this developing story.

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