Dhusamareb (Somalia Today) — Gunmen shot and killed a mother and her three daughters as they slept in their home in central Somalia’s Galgaduud region, in what authorities believe was a clan-related revenge attack.
The attack happened late at night in the village of Marcaanyo, near Xiindheere. Armed men broke into the house and opened fire, killing Sahra Artan Hersi and her daughters — Nurto Ahmed Mohamud, Hawo Ahmed Mohamud, and Fa’isa Ahmed Mohamud. A fifth person in the home was wounded.
Residents said the victims were shot at close range while asleep. Many called the assault cold-blooded and deliberate. The gunmen fled, leaving the community in shock and fearful of retaliation.
“The family was asleep when the militiamen broke in and opened fire,” a resident told local media on condition of anonymity. “It was a targeted and merciless act that has left everyone horrified.”
Somalia’s cycle of revenge killings
The massacre is the latest in a string of deadly incidents tied to long-running clan feuds that destabilize parts of central Somalia.
According to a European Union Agency for Asylum report, clan-based violence remains a major driver of conflict in Galmudug. Revenge killings have claimed hundreds of lives in recent years.
Authorities in Galmudug state and Somalia’s federal government have not yet commented publicly on the Marcaanyo attack.
The lack of a swift response from security forces has deepened concerns that clan militias act with near impunity. Many fear the cycle of bloodshed will continue unless authorities intervene.
Analysts say disputes over grazing land and water often spark these attacks. Such tensions routinely undermine peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) has recorded a steady pattern of clan clashes across Galgaduud. Violence tends to surge during periods of political instability, drought, or resource scarcity.
The Dhusamareb killings mirror a run of recent clan-related assassinations. In Galkayo, gunmen killed Dr. Omar Abdi Dahir, a young physician, in a revenge attack in September — the second doctor killed in the city within weeks.
These targeted killings have created a climate of fear, disrupted daily life, and hindered humanitarian operations. The region already struggles with poverty, drought, and the threat of extremist groups.
Without decisive government action, communities in Galgaduud remain trapped in a loop of retribution.
