SOMALIA - GALCAIO ASSASSINATION LIKELY RESULT OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L NAIROBI 001691 NOFORN SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION DEPT FOR AF/E AND A/S CARSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER MOPS SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA - GALCAIO ASSASSINATION LIKELY RESULT OF INTRA-CLAN TENSIONS Classified By: Somalia Unit PolOff Joe Trimble for reasons 1.4(b) and ( d) ¶1. Summary. (C//NF) Despite a government statement to the contrary, our contacts tell us the August 5 assassination of the Information Minister of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland was most likely an act of clan retribution. Long-standing intra-Majerteen tensions escalated in recent days with checkpoint clashes outside of Galcaio town in Mudug region. The Minister, a Bid'idyahan clansman who was known to travel without security, apparently served as a high profile target of Darod/Majerteen/Omar Mahamud/Khalaf retribution. End Summary. ¶2. (C//NF) Puntland Minister of Information Warsame Abdi Shirwa, known as "Sefta Bananka," was killed on August 5 in Galcaio town in Mudug region. Our contacts tell us four gunmen walked into a coffee shop in the center of town which was known to be frequented by Puntland government officials. The gunmen remain at large. Shirwa was reportedly part of an advance team laying the political groundwork for an upcoming visit by Puntland President Abdirahman Mohammed Mohamud "Faroole" to Galcaio. Galcaio's loyalty is split between south-central Somalia and Puntland. Northern Galcaio is considered part of Puntland while southern Galcaio is part of south-central Somalia. Support for President "Faroole," even in northern Galcaio, is very limited. "Faroole" on August 6th attended Shirwa's funeral in Galcaio. ¶3. (C//NF) Several of our Puntland contacts tell us the killing was an act of clan retribution by the Darod/Majerteen/Omar Mohamud/Khalaf against Shirwa's Majerteen/Bi'idyahan. (Note: The Omar Mohamud/Khalaf and Bi'idyahan relationship has long been marked by periodic clashes driven by competition over water wells. End Note.) A Khalaf clansmen was reportedly killed last week when the Mudug regional governor's security detail attempted to dismantle a Bi'idyahan checkpoint near Galcaio. The Khalaf man, who was part of the governor's security detail, was killed by a Bi'idyahan. Our contacts tell us Shirwa, a Bi'idyahan, was known as the only Puntland Minister who never traveled with security and, therefore, served as an easy target for Khalaf gunmen. ¶4. (C//NF) Comment. Shirwa was a vocal opponent of al-Shabaab activities in the area and an initial statement from the Puntland government claims al-Shabaab was involved in the assassination. While we can not rule out al-Shabaab involvement, we also should not rule out the possibility "Faroole" would attempt to paint his subclan rivals in Galcaio with a terrorist brush. End Comment. RANNEBERGER