Werder

History

One of the Dhulbahante garesas Mohammed Abdullah Hassan constructed in 1910 was built in the town, following the relocation of his capital to Taleex the year before, allowing him to consolidate his control over the Huwan. During 1933–34 the Italians built a road to carry motor traffic from Italian Somaliland to Werder in the Ogaden by way of Geladi with the fort of Walwal becoming a crucial component for the Italians to win the war. The subjects of the Sultans Jasin and Refle were forced to accept Italian rule, otherwise, they would not be permitted to draw water at Werder. Government security forces and members of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) clashed in Werder on 23 February 1994. More than 50 people were reported killed during the initial incident and in the three days of skirmishes that followed. The fighting forced the town's population to flee and seek shelter in the surrounding countryside. On 26 January 2008, the Ethiopian military placed staff members of the Dutch chapter of the NGO Doctors without Borders (MSF) under house arrest in Werder, accusing them of providing medical support to the ONLF. The MSF reported in September 2008 that refugees from fighting in the local conflict between Somali insurgents and the Ethiopian government had flocked to Werder in search of food and water. "An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people are currently living in squalid conditions," the MSF stated, "under makeshift shelters, with limited access to water, no sanitation, and the carcasses of dead animals around them."