No fewer than 15 people were killed on Thursday in fierce fighting between two rival clans in central Somalia, a local security official told dpa.

More than 10 others were injured and many were displaced by the fighting in the Mataban district of Hiiraan province in Abdi Yare Elmi.

“The conflict between two rival clan is all about grazing land ownership in the area’’ said Dahir Yusuf, a traditional leader in Mataban.

Troubled Somalia’s population is divided into clans and sub-clans that often engage in territorial disputes and political arguments.

Fighting among clans and subclans, particularly over water and land resources, usually occurs throughout the year, particularly in the regions of Hiiraan, Galmudug, Lower and Middle Shabelle, and Sool.

Clan-based political violence involved revenge killings and attacks on civilian settlements.

Clashes between clan-based forces and with al-Shabaab in Puntland and the Galmudug, Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, Lower Juba, Baidoa, and Hiiraan regions often result in deaths.

(dpa/NAN)