Unverified Reports of Macawisley Mobilization in Hiiraan Amid Hirshabelle Election Dispute

A political dispute over Hirshabelle State's local council and parliamentary elections, scheduled for September 30, 2026 by the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, intensified in Hiiraan region on September 24, 2026, with unverified reports of a possible mobilization of Macawisley clan militia fighters in the Afcad area opposing the vote. The reports did not include verified details on fighter numbers, weapons, or command. Hirshabelle Vice President Yusuf Hagar Dabageed said elections should not proceed without a political agreement addressing the Hawadle community's expectations for the next state presidency, and accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of abandoning prior understandings; the Hawadle community itself is divided, with the Hawadle Political Council backing incumbent Hirshabelle President Ali Abdullahi Hussein 'Guudlaawe' for re-election. The dispute follows a September 7, 2026 attack on a Beledweyne voter-registration center by suspected Macawisley gunmen that killed one person, and a large protest in Beledweyne opposing the vote without a prior political deal.