Dacawalay conflict

Da'awalay Conflict (also spelled Dacawalay or Da'awaley) was a conflict, mass killing and village-level assault that took place on and around 25 December 2024 in the town of Da'awaley in the Harshin district Ethiopia. The attack, widely reported as carried out by Somali Regional state security units commonly known as the Liyu Police together with allied Somali militias, targeted members of the Isaaq clan and local nomadic communities. Multiple local, regional and diaspora sources reported large numbers of civilian deaths, abductions of elders sent as mediators, the burning of villages, and the displacement of thousands of people. ^[1]

The Somali Region of Ethiopia (locally often called the Ogaden) has a long history of inter-clan tensions and episodic violence. In the months and years leading up to December 2024 there were multiple reports of clashes in parts of the Somali Region involving rival clan militias and regional security forces; observers and analysts described a pattern of increasing militarization, alleged state-facilitated campaigns against particular communities, and breakdowns in local dispute-resolution mechanisms. The region's Liyuu (Liyuu Police) units — regional special forces — have been repeatedly accused by local actors and human-rights commentators of operating along clan lines and of committing abuses during security operations. ^[2] Local accounts and subsequent investigations report that traditional Isaaq elders and mediators were invited to the Dacawalay area to negotiate a local dispute and to mediate between clan elements. According to several independent and community sources, these elders were ambushed by security forces; the mediation delegation was targeted, detained or killed, and the situation escalated into a widescale assault on civilian settlements. Reports also describe a pre-attack communications blackout and subsequent use of force that included burning homes and summary killings. ^[3]

Contemporary reporting and the December 2024 case-study document a coordinated assault by Liyuu Police detachments on Dacawalay and neighbouring hamlets. The assault reportedly began early in the morning, included house-to-house operations, and targeted both mediators and ordinary civilians. Witnesses reported shootings, abductions, deliberate arson, and looting. Several reports claim that video material and social-media posts circulated by perpetrators (or supporters) amplified the impact of the attack and contributed to terror among survivors. ^[4] Reported death tolls vary across sources and remain contested. Local community tallies and some Somaliland statements reported that approximately 135 members of the Isaaq community were killed in the attack; other outlets reported dozens to several dozen fatalities. In addition to those killed, many civilians were injured, elders and mediators were detained or disappeared, and thousands were displaced to neighbouring areas or across the border into Somaliland. Several sources document mass graves and hurried burials in the aftermath of the assault. Because of the communications blackout and restricted access for independent investigators immediately after the event, precise casualty verification is incomplete and subject to revision pending formal, independent investigation. ^[5][6]

The attack provoked immediate local and cross-border condemnation, the flight of displaced persons (including to Somaliland), and heightened tensions along the Ethiopia–Somaliland border. Authorities in Somaliland issued statements condemning the actions of the Somali Region's security forces and calling for accountability; Somaliland officials also reported detentions and deaths among elders who had gone to mediate. Local clinics reported receiving many wounded; some sources documented mass burials and a surge in internally displaced persons. Humanitarian access was constrained in the immediate aftermath due to security concerns and the communications blackout. ^[7]

The government of Somaliland publicly condemned the assault and characterized it as a massacre of Isaaq communities by Somali Region forces; statements demanded international attention and accountability. Somaliland authorities also reported that traditional elders from Somaliland had been abducted and/or killed while attempting to mediate. ^[8]

Somali regional commentators, diaspora groups, and a number of Somaliland- and diaspora-based media published eyewitness accounts and op-eds condemning the killings and urging international human-rights organisations to investigate. Opinion pieces and human-rights appeals described the Dacawalay attack as part of a broader pattern of systematic abuses allegedly linked to clan politics in the Somali Region. ^[9]

At the time of immediate reporting, major international media coverage and official investigations were limited; several smaller human-rights groups and fact-finding teams from diaspora and regional NGOs compiled reports and called for independent investigation. (See Investigations below.) ^[10]

• Isaaq
• Ogaden (clan)
• Liyuu Police
• Ethnic violence in Ethiopia

• A Case Study of the Dacawalay Massacre — Gulaid Yusuf Idaan (PDF). Araweelonews. https://usercontent.one/wp/www.araweelonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-Case-Study-of-the-Dacawalay-Massacre.pdf.