Somalia: Baidoa Erupts in Heavy Fighting as Laftagareen Forces Claim to Seize City

BAIDOA, Somalia — Heavy fighting erupted Monday in Baidoa after forces loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen launched an attack inside the city, triggering clashes with Somali government forces and troops loyal to the South West State administration.

The fighting began early Monday morning and involved heavy weapons, with gunfire and explosions heard across Baidoa, about 250 kilometers west of Mogadishu. The clashes caused casualties among the rival forces and civilians, although the exact number of dead and wounded was not immediately clear.

A spokesman for Laftagareen’s forces, Ugas Hassan, claimed that his forces had taken full control of Baidoa. He said the fighters had restored what he described as the city’s “freedom and dignity” and called on residents to come out of their homes and welcome the forces.

“The South West State Darwish forces have fully taken control of Baidoa and restored its freedom and dignity,” the spokesman said.

He also urged residents to return to the streets, saying they had nothing to fear and that his forces were in full control of the city. He said the fighters would work to restore order and the South West State administration.

Government military officials, however, gave a sharply different account of the fighting. They said their forces had successfully defended their positions and repelled the attack by forces loyal to Laftagareen.

The conflicting claims could not be independently verified, and the situation in Baidoa remained tense. Residents reported sporadic gunfire in some parts of the city after the main clashes, while many people remained indoors amid fears that fighting could resume.

The latest violence is part of a prolonged political and security dispute over control of South West State. Laftagareen was removed from office in March by the federal government and replaced him with former Somali parliament speaker Aden Madobe, deepening the political confrontation between the rival camps.

The dispute has since increasingly taken on a military dimension, with Laftagareen-aligned forces accused of carrying out several attacks against Baidoa. Renewed fighting there risks further destabilizing the regional state and putting civilians at greater risk.

As of Monday, neither side had provided independently verified figures for casualties or the extent of damage caused by the fighting.

GAROWE ONLINE