Marka, Southwest – Intense fighting broke out between rival factions of Somalia’s security forces in the coastal town of Marka, located about 90km south of Mogadishu, following weeks of escalating tensions.
The clashes erupted on Monday within the town’s primary administration compound amid a dispute between the mayor and his deputy, local officials reported. The site also contains the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) office, where many residents had assembled to obtain national ID cards.
Eyewitnesses reported civilians caught in the crossfire as gunmen from the rival groups fired at close quarters. No immediate casualty reports emerged.
Marka, a key port in Somalia’s Southwest state, stays unstable even with African Union peacekeepers present, who expelled Al-Shabaab militants years earlier. Though under nominal government authority, clan-linked units in the security apparatus have sporadically fought.
Local leaders faced criticism for not defusing tensions prior to the violent outbreak.
Officials offered no public statement on the dispute’s origins or deployment of reinforcements to regain control.
