A notorious warlord allied to Somalia's Islamic Courts Union (ICU) has rejected an order from the al Shabaab faction to "disarm peacefully," inside sources tell Garowe Online.

Yusuf "Indha Ade" Mohamed Siad, for years the warlord-ruler of Lower Shabelle region, fled the provincial capital Marka hours before al Shabaab fighters poured into the port town yesterday. READ: Islamist al Shabaab militia seize Marka port

Insiders said al Shabaab spokesman Muktar Robow "Abu Mansur" personally spoke with Indha Ade on the telephone before the al Shabaab forces advanced on Marka and requested Indha Ade to surrender his weapons.

"The weapons I have belong to a clan" was Indha Ade's response, according to Garowe Online sources.

Indha Ade belongs to the Habar Gedir sub-clan that traditionally inhabits the central regions of Mudug and Galgaduud.

For years, Indha Ade used Habar Gedir clan militia to subjugate Lower Shabelle's unarmed native clans and imposed rules that unfairly placed his clansmen in positions of power.

He returned to Marka last month for the first time since Ethiopian-backed government forces ousted the ICU from Mogadishu and other regions in December 2006.

But his pledge to establish an Islamic court for the region was rejected by native clan leaders. READ: Lower Shabelle elders reject warlord's administration

Indha Ade was last reported to have fled towards the central regions.

In 2006, he was the ICU's defense chief and is now allied to the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) that is based in Eritrea and has rejected the Djibouti Agreement intended to bring peace to Somalia.