Major central Somali town falls to insurgent fighters

MOGADISHU (Xinhua) — Insurgent fighters took over the provincial capital of central Somali region of Beledweyn hours after Ethiopian Woyanne troops withdrew from the city, residents said Saturday.

The fighters arrived in the town early in the morning taking positions and keeping guard at the streets.

Locals ransacked the offices of the regional and municipal administration and the whereabouts of the regional Governor and mayor of the city of Beledweyn are not yet known, resources in Beledweyn, 300 km north of Mogadishu, told Xinhua.

Commanders of the insurgent fighters spoke with local residents saying they will fight with Ethiopian Woyanne troops if they returned to the city which has fallen to the insurgents early this year but the insurgents withdrew hours after they took over.

Sources in the city said that Ethiopian Woyanne troops who since they returned to Beledweyn after they left early this year had been stationed in the town with the newly installed administration trying to consolidate their authority in the region.

The new Governor had said early this year that insurgents were inside the region and had been trying to reign in. Ethiopian Woyanne troops were deployed in the town and the former governor’s forces disbanded.

Ethiopian Woyanne troops were reportedly heading to towns in the central region of Mugud. It is not clear why they withdrew from Beledweyn or went to the Mudug Region