Battle of Beledweyne (2006)
| Battle of Beledweyne | |||||||
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| Part of the War in Somalia (2006–2009) | |||||||
 Battle of Beledweyne, December 24–25, 2006 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Islamic Courts Union
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 Ethiopia Somalia warlords |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 60 killed | 12 taken prisoner | ||||||
The Battle of Beledweyne occurred on December 24 to December 25, 2006 when Ethiopian troops seized that Somalian town from Islamic Courts Union fighters, according to some news agencies. Beledweyne is 100 km north of Baidoa, the seat of Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.
Even before the 2006 events in the Somali Civil War, Beledweyne had seen its share of fighting. In June 2005, fighting between the Galje'el and Jijele subclans Gugundhabe in the western of town lasted for five days, resulting in 16 dead GalJe'el 13 dead and Jijele 3 dead, 70 wounded both clans and hundreds more displaced. This left the town on an uneasy footing.
On June 30, 2006, the ICU held demonstrations in Beledweyne in which protesters held signs reading, "We Don't Want Ethiopia to Enter Somalia."
On August 1, 2006, the ICU sent technicals out towards the Ethiopian border north of Beledweyne. Ethiopian troops were reportedly sent across the border to stop the ICU's advance.
Between August 9 and August 16, ICU militia under the command of Yusuf Makaraan occupied the town. After resisting for a few days, by August 13 the deposed governor, Yusuf Ahmed Hagar (also known as Yusuf Mohamud Hagar and "Dabageed"), fled to Ethiopia to regroup his forces. By August 16, the ICU declared control of the town after a final brief exchange of gunfire.
In late August, 2006, Sheik Farah Moalim established an Islamic court in the town. In an interview with the Associated Press he declared, "The world better learn who we are... This is just the beginning stage."
In September the ICU arrested journalist Osman Adan Areys of Radio Simba for two days for airing a report about the strict new rules and a curfew imposed on the town.
On October 13, Sheikh Abdullahi Gurre, spokesman for the ICU, declared Ethiopian troops had crossed the border and were within 25 km of Beledweyne.
Somalia was devastated by massive floods that hit the country late in 2006. The storms of November 10–11 resulted in the displacement of 60,000 persons in the Beledweyne area. On Sunday, November 26, 200 women protested they had not been getting enough help to deal with the humanitarian crisis.
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