Somali farmers say al-Shabab is targeting them and stealing their livestock.
Farmers in the Jubbaland and Galmudug regions said al-Shabab militants are systematically confiscating livestock from certain clans. The group is accused of driving clans they view as hostile to their administration into poverty.
For a second week, fighting is taking place in the rural areas west of Kismayo where shepherds are trying to keep ownership of their animals. More than 20 people were killed since last week, according to regional officials and locals.
Six herders killed
Clan elder Mohamud Shureyn, who is in Yaqbisharo, told VOA that Monday’s clashes claimed the lives of six herders. He accused al-Shabab of executing the victims, all of them men, at a water reservoir.
“The locals are no match for al-Shabab,” he said.