Somalia: Baidoa Fighting Deepens Pressure on Aden Madobe’s South West Administration
BAIDOA, Somalia — Fighting erupted overnight in Baidoa after forces aligned with former South West president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, commonly known as Lafta-gareen, attacked and captured sections of the southwestern Somali city, local reports said.
The latest confrontation follows months of intermittent violence in Baidoa, the capital of Bay region. Political friction has gripped the city since Somalia’s federal government backed the formation of a new South West administration.
Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur, widely known as Aden Madobe, leads the Somali government-established administration but faces growing pressure to secure the city, broaden public support and cement his authority.
Local elders and residents have criticized the administration, arguing that federal support propelled it into power without broad agreement among local communities. They have also alleged inequitable power-sharing and an uneven allocation of government posts, issues they say have deepened resentment among several clans.
Baidoa remained on edge Wednesday amid concerns that the confrontation could widen. According to local reports, some civilians had started leaving neighborhoods close to the front lines while opposing forces held positions across different areas of the city.
Neither the federal government nor Lafta-gareen’s representatives immediately commented on the latest fighting. Axadle was unable to independently confirm claims from the battlefield.
AXADLETM
