Baidoa (AX) — Clashes erupted in Baidoa early Thursday after forces loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen moved into the city, residents and videos circulated on social media reported.
Residents said Laftagareen-aligned fighters entered Baidoa from multiple directions before engaging South West State and federal government forces.
Ugaas Hassan Abdi Mohamed, spokesman for the former South West president, said forces he identified as South West forces were carrying out operations inside Baidoa.
He urged residents to stay inside, warning that people and children should not leave their homes until the operation had ended.
“The various forces fighting in the city and those in other areas should surrender,” Ugaas Hassan said. He called on fighters to report to designated locations for registration and other procedures.
Somalia’s federal Ministry of Defense, however, said government forces had defeated militias in Baidoa that it described as loyal to Laftagareen and affiliated with al-Shabab.
The ministry said the fighting started at approximately 4:15 a.m. after the groups launched an assault on the city.
“Government forces strongly repelled the attack, which began with explosions intended to frighten residents,” the ministry said.
The Ministry of Defense said authorities were assessing casualties among the attacking forces and would issue official figures once the review was complete.
The overall number of casualties remained unclear.
Reports indicated that the clashes ended at about 9 a.m. local time.
Thursday’s fighting marked the second attack on Baidoa by forces loyal to Laftagareen within three weeks.
The latest violence unfolded against the backdrop of an escalating political confrontation between the federal government and Laftagareen. He has rejected the authority of the current South West administration and insists that he remains the state’s legitimate president.
Federal authorities and South West officials have accused Laftagareen’s supporters of seeking to destabilize Baidoa and retake control of the city.
Laftagareen’s camp has rejected allegations of links to al-Shabab and previously accused the federal government of politicizing the security situation in South West State.
This story has been updated to include additional quotes from the federal government and a spokesman for the former South West State president.
