Fighting in Somalia's central Galmudug state has killed 120 people [8] and displaced 100,000 [9] in recent days. Two hospitals were shelled [10], presumably by government forces, in the town of Guri-El, causing aid groups to suspend operations in the area. The conflict pits government forces against the regional militia group Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa (ASWJ [11])–former allies in the fight against the jihadist al-Shaabab insurgency. A moderate Sufi sect, ASWJ has been fighting [12] the Shaabab since 2008, and forged a pact [13] with the government two years later. But Mogadishu is now denying the group's bid for a regional power-sharing deal, and demanding that the militia be integrated into the national armed forces. (TNH [16], ReliefWeb [17], VOA [18])
The ASWJ is presumably unrelated to the jihadist-oriented Mozambican group [19] of the same name, although it may share common origins.