Sa'ad Militia

The Sa’ad militia is the armed wing of the Habr Gedir Sa’ad subclan. This subclan falls under the larger Hawiye clan in Somalia, and the clan’s formation is unknown. Led by Mohamed Farah Aidid, the man also responsible for leading the overarching Aidid militia, the group took part in inter clan violence that occurred following the fall of Siad Barre’s regime in the 1990s. The group was known to support the United Somali Congress in its fight against Ali Mahdi Abgal’s forces in 1994. The militia’s goal is to gain more power and territory over other clans. This has resulted in a fight with the Suleiman sub-clan that is also part of the Habr Gedir clan. Due to the group’s location in the Galgaduud region in central Somalia, their operations have largely been unaffected by Al Shabaab, which maintains little to no presence in the west or northwest parts of Galgaduud. However, Hawiye clans in the south of the region have viewed Al Shabaab as a “convenient partner”.