Somalia

Monday March 30, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Federal government troops, supported by armed groups allied with opposition figures in Southwest State, pushed into Baidoa on Monday after fierce clashes with the Southwest regional administration. Witnesses said heavy gunfire rattled the town’s outskirts earlier in the day as the two sides fought over control of strategic sites in the interim administrative capital. The scale of the casualties remains uncertain, and neither camp has issued official numbers. Footage circulating on social…

Monday March 30, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Heavy fighting erupted on Monday in and around Baidoa, pitting Southwest State forces against federal government troops and allied armed groups loyal to the regional administration. Residents said intense bursts of gunfire rang out from early morning and continued for hours. The violence reportedly began near a livestock market close to a checkpoint on the main road connecting Baidoa and Mogadishu, then spread into other parts of the town. The number of casualties remains unclear, and…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Intense fighting flared Monday on the outskirts of Baidoa, where Southwest State security forces battled troops from the Federal Government of Somalia backed by armed militias, according to officials and witnesses, in the latest sign that the region’s political standoff is deepening. The confrontation unfolded in the peri-urban belt around the city and involved both light and heavy weaponry. Southwest State media said its regional forces pushed back what it described as an attempt by “armed groups” to force…

Monday March 30, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s national security adviser, Awes Haji Yusuf Ahmed, has rejected accusations from Southwest State that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud backs the al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabab militant group, branding the claims unfounded and reckless. In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Ahmed said the president’s government has spearheaded major counterterrorism offensives that have weakened the insurgency and recaptured strategic areas. “Claims that President Hassan Sheikh…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Alarm is growing over a string of social media posts by Somalia’s ports and maritime transport minister, Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur, with critics warning that the messages could deepen political tensions and even help trigger conflict in the Southwest state. Over the past several days, Nur has used Facebook to comment on the movement of national army units, including posts saying when troops would arrive in Baidoa and claiming that some areas had already been secured. The remarks have prompted sharp…

Monday March 30, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Fresh fighting and mounting tensions in Somalia’s Southwest State have driven an estimated 45,000 people from their homes, pushing already strained families into areas where access to basic services and humanitarian aid is thin, the United Nations said Friday. In a statement released in Mogadishu, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cited Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia George Conway as voicing serious alarm over the worsening crisis, especially for…

DJIBOUTI – Somalia’s latest political showdown drew a warning from the Horn of Africa’s regional bloc on Sunday, as IGAD urged "restraint" and "inclusive dialogue" amid escalating tensions between Mogadishu and the semi-autonomous SouthWest State. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the eight-member regional grouping based in Djibouti, said it was "closely monitoring developments" in the state as a widening dispute raises the risk of armed confrontation. "IGAD expresses concern over rising tensions and calls on…

BAIDOA, Somalia - SouthWest State on Sunday voiced alarm over reports that Somali federal troops and Turkish-supplied military hardware were being used in operations against civilians in the region. In a statement, the regional administration said forces trained by Turkey, together with armored vehicles originally provided for counterterrorism work, had been redirected toward actions against local communities. It also alleged that Turkish drones were tracking the movements of federal troops as they advanced toward the town…

Sunday March 29, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday cut the ribbon on a newly rebuilt stretch of road connecting Mogadishu’s Dabka and Bakaara intersections, a flagship project carried out by the Benadir Regional Administration. Speaking at the ceremony, Mohamud cast the project as a visible sign of the capital’s recovery and of broader gains in security, governance, and economic life. “The reconstruction of this road reflects the revival and visible progress of the capital,…

Somalia: Southwest Presidency Rejects Claims of Dialogue Request with FGS After Laftagareen’s Re-election BAIDOA, Somalia — Southwest State’s presidency on Sunday moved quickly to quash reports that newly re-elected regional leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, widely known as Laftagareen, had sought formal talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The denial from Baidoa came only hours after social media posts claimed Laftagareen had contacted…