Clan and local identities shaped even intra-party candidate disputes

Evidence

One of the strangest contests emerged in Mogadishu between the CC and the local branch of the party. The local branch’s favorite candidate was Ahmed Dahir Hassan, a resident of Mogadishu and an active member of the SYL, while the CC nominated Sheikh Issa Mohamed, a Mogadishu native who had been the SYL’s treasurer since it was established. Some of the local branch members accused the CC of tribalism because it supported a townsman against an “outsider.” This problem was resolved in favor of the “outsider.” — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 367