Clan Fighting Is Said to Kill 49 People, Hurt 70

At least 49 people were killed and 70 were wounded in fighting between rival clan militias in central Somalia, residents and health officials said.

The violence between the Dir and Marehan clans erupted in Galgudud, 270 miles north of the capital, Mogadishu, early Tuesday and continued until midday Wednesday, residents contacted by radio from Mogadishu said.

There was no word on the cause of the violence. Rival warlords have carved Somalia into fiefdoms since the overthrow of former military ruler Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.