Armed groups and militias
Macawisley: the clan militias of central Somalia
Macawisley (Ma'awisley) is the name given to clan-based militias in central Somalia that have fought al-Shabaab, named after the macawis sarong their fighters wear. Local groups appeared from about 2014. From mid-2022 Hawadle and other clan militias in Hiiraan fought alongside the Somali National Army in the federal offensive against al-Shabaab, and the government armed and supported them. Reports since have recorded both territorial gains and abuses, disputes with federal forces, and complaints that support fell away in 2025.
In short
Macawisley is the common name for clan militias in central Somalia that took up arms against al-Shabaab. They are not one organisation: each is drawn from a clan or sub-clan and defends its own area. This page records what the sources say about them, without taking sides.
The name and the first groups
Wikipedia records that the name comes from the macawis, the sarong the fighters wear. Groups first appeared in Jubaland and Hiiraan in about 2014 and have grown and shrunk since. In 2018 Hibaad Ali Dasar organised about 60 men in Middle Shabelle after refusing al-Shabaab's taxes; the group was defeated by October and he was killed in an ambush. In June 2019 a Macawisley group clashed with al-Shabaab in Adan Yabaal district (Wikipedia, Ma'awisley, citing Voice of America and BBC Somali).
Clans
Wikipedia, drawing on several sources, records that the militias are mainly Hawadle, with fighters also from the Abgaal, Gaalje'el, Habar Gidir, Murusade and Surre. It gives estimates of 8,000 to 10,000 fighters, mostly farmers and herders with little formal training (Wikipedia, citing the Rift Valley Institute and others).
The 2022 offensive
In June 2022 a militia defended Bahdo and reportedly killed up to 70 al-Shabaab fighters (Wikipedia, citing Voice of America). In early September 2022 the Somali National Army, with Macawisley militias, African Union air support and a US air strike, began an offensive in Hiiraan around Buq Aqable, an area al-Shabaab had held for almost a decade. It spread into Galgaduud near Dhusamareb and into Bay. Officials said dozens of towns and villages were retaken; the Long War Journal could not verify their death tolls (Long War Journal, 27 September 2022). The wider campaign is described in the offensive against al-Shabaab, 2022–2025.
Wikipedia records that the government began arming the militias in 2022, and cites Al Jazeera reporting that it armed militias from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's clan and others close to him. On 7 February 2025 the defence minister announced that integration into the national army was under way (Wikipedia, citing Hiiraan Online).
Disputes and abuses
Wikipedia, citing PeaceRep, The Somali Digest and Africa Confidential, records:
- in February 2024, Hawadle leaders complained that federal figures were using the offensive for political ends, and the Murusade divided over government involvement;
- in February 2024, militias in Diinlaawe executed three brothers accused of spying for al-Shabaab;
- in May 2024, militias clashed with the army's Danab units at El Baraf after Danab reportedly tried to disarm local forces.
Al Jazeera, cited by Wikipedia, reported accusations that militias settled land disputes by force and ran roadblocks for money (Wikipedia).
2025
On 21 May 2025 Garowe Online reported that Hawadle Macawisley fighters around Beledweyne faced growing al-Shabaab attacks after federal troops withdrew from places in Middle Shabelle, including Adan Yabaal. A local official said government support had "dropped significantly", and community leaders called for a review of security coordination (Garowe Online, 21 May 2025). See Hirshabelle and Hiiraan.
Sources differ
- How well the model works. Trends Research described the coordinated clan offensives as unprecedented, while noting that some militias stopped at clan boundaries (Trends Research, 2023); a PeaceRep analysis argued that clan-based mobilisation would remain ineffective against al-Shabaab (PeaceRep).
- Who is armed. The government presents the militias as local volunteers; critics say arms went first to clans close to the president.
- Numbers. Estimates range up to 10,000 fighters; none is official.
Read the primary sources yourself
Sources
- Wikipedia, Ma'awisley · en.wikipedia.org
- Long War Journal, 27 September 2022 · fdd.org
- Garowe Online, 21 May 2025 · garoweonline.com
- Trends Research, 2023 · trendsresearch.org
- PeaceRep · peacerep.org
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