Islamist-linked militia took over Matabaan district

BELETWEIN, Somalia Feb 13 (Garowe Online) - The governor of Hiran region in central Somalia named a local government for Matabaan district on Tuesday, a day after armed militiamen rolled into town and took over.

Governor Hussein Mohamud Moallim named the Matabaan local government at a press conference in Beletwein, the regional capital.

Matabaan is a district in northeast Hiran region, bordered by Galgadud to the north.

The governor-appointed Matabaan local administration, led by District Commissioner Abdiwali Warsame Hersi, has two deputy commissioners, a security commander, a secretary, and a treasurer, according to government documents.

But some local sub-clans voiced opposition to the new administration and accused Governor Moallim of wanting to forment trouble between friendly clans that live in the district, according to an elder who declined to be named in print.

Sources in Matabaan said militiamen linked to the ousted Islamic Courts movement took over the district yesterday, with district leaders appealing for help from Somali government troops stationed in nearby regions.

Militiamen already in the town were instructed to lay down their weapons, according to residents. The Islamist-linked militia came from Galgaduud region, which is the home region of Islamic Courts chief Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.

The Islamists fled central and south Somalia, including Mogadishu, after loosing a two-week war in December to Ethiopia-backed Somali troops.

The government has not responded to the developments in Matabaan district.

Source: Garowe Online