Addis Abeba — Heavy fighting erupted in central Baidoa on Monday between Somali federal forces and armed groups loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, marking a renewed escalation in the political and security crisis that has gripped the regional capital since March.
Investigative journalism reports Militias loyal to Laftagareen entered Baidoa from two directions and engaged two battalions of federal troops, according to residents and a military officer cited by Reuters. A local shopkeeper told the outlet that federal forces were using heavy weapons and that stray bullets killed at least two civilians inside their homes and wounded others.
Laftagareen's spokesperson claimed on Facebook that his forces had captured Baidoa and called on federal troops to surrender, although Reuters could not independently verify the claim.
Addis Ababa tourism The Somali federal government, meanwhile, said its positions had come under attack from armed elements comprising Al-Shabaab fighters and Laftagareen-aligned militias. It claimed nearly 30 attackers were killed and several others captured.
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Local Somali media, including baidoaonline and Hiiran, reported fighting in several neighborhoods, including Siliga, Warshadda Hassay, Boonkaay, Bangi Qiyaamay and Mursal. Communications were also disrupted, while videos circulating online showed armed fighters, technical vehicles and smoke over parts of the city. The extent of casualties remained unclear amid competing claims from the two sides.
The latest fighting follows months of political confrontation between Mogadishu and Laftagareen, which intensified in March when federal forces moved to assert control over Baidoa.
On March 30, Somali federal forces and allied paramilitary units entered the city and seized key installations, including police stations, major business areas and other strategic infrastructure. The takeover followed an armed standoff between the federal government and Laftagareen's administration, which had opposed Mogadishu's political and constitutional agenda.
Laftagareen resigned hours after federal forces entered the city. The clashes surrounding the takeover reportedly killed at least two people and wounded 25 others. The federal takeover was feared to have deepened tensions within Somalia's already fragile federal system.
The confrontation had been building before the military takeover. In mid-March, the federal government suspended civilian flights between Mogadishu and Baidoa, a move widely seen as putting additional pressure on Laftagareen's administration.
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South West State officials had also accused Mogadishu of diverting firearms supplied by Egypt for national security purposes to local militias rather than using them in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
Despite the March takeover, the political dispute was not resolved. On June 10, Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur "Madobe" was elected president of South West State in a parliamentary vote, replacing the administration led by Laftagareen. Madobe subsequently met Ethiopian Sector 3 forces stationed at Baidoa airport and pledged deeper security cooperation.
The renewed fighting now raises the prospect of another confrontation over control of the city, which remains strategically important to both Somalia's federal authorities and South West State.
Baidoa is also a major humanitarian hub, hosting large numbers of people displaced by conflict and prolonged drought.
Médecins Sans Frontières has reported alarming levels of severe malnutrition among children in Baidoa, with its facility in the city treating numbers of severely malnourished children beyond its capacity. More than 6.5 million people across Somalia are facing acute food insecurity, while more than 1.84 million children under five are expected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2026.
