Somalia’s autonomous state of Puntland amassed 1,600 troops along its southern border with Galmudug state on 26 November, according to IHS sources.
The border, which divides the regional capital city of Galkayo, is contested between Puntland and Galmudug, and has been racked by inter-clan violence since 1993, although an official line of control was established in a peace agreement in 2011.
This military build-up follows a week of clashes between rival forces that began on 22 November, when militiamen from the Barahley (Wadajir) area of Galkayo – in the Galmudug-controlled southern part of the city – exchanged fire with Puntland’s security forces, leaving 10 dead and at least 50 injured.
