Federal troops seize control of Baidoa after heavy fighting
Somali National Television said security operations were under way in Baidoa to restore calm after forces it described as loyal to Southwest President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen were cleared from key areas.
Monday March 30, 2026
Baidoa (AX) — Federal government forces, reinforced by armed groups linked to opposition factions in Southwest State, moved into Baidoa on Monday after intense clashes with the Southwest regional administration.
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Witnesses said gunfire broke out heavily on the town’s outskirts earlier in the day as the rival sides fought for control of strategic points in the interim administrative capital. The death toll was not immediately known, and neither side had issued official casualty figures.
Footage circulating on social media showed the newly appointed Bay Regional Police Commander, Sadiiq Doodishe, moving through Baidoa neighborhoods with his troops. The clips also showed Somalia’s Minister of Livestock, Hassan Hussein Eelaay, a critic of President Laftagareen, entering the city alongside federal-aligned forces.
Somali National Television said security operations were under way in Baidoa to restore calm after forces it described as loyal to Southwest President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen were cleared from key areas.
The government also said it had reopened the vital Baidoa-Daynuunay road, which had been disrupted by recent fighting with the al-Qaida-linked militant group Al-Shabab.
Even as federal troops advanced, President Laftagareen and senior members of his administration remained inside the presidential palace in Baidoa.
His spokesperson, Ugaas Hassan Abdi Mohamed, said the president was safe and was holding consultations with security officials.
“The president is fine and has no problems,” he said.
He also rejected claims that Ethiopian troops serving under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) were guarding the airport or providing extra protection.
“They were already in control; there is no new security arrangement,” he added.
African Union troops, including Ethiopian contingents, have long been deployed in Baidoa and other major towns in Southwest state, where they guard key sites such as the airport and government offices.
The fighting signals a sharp escalation in an expanding political confrontation between Mogadishu and several federal member states, including Southwest, Puntland State and Jubbaland.
At the center of the dispute are constitutional amendments passed by Somalia’s federal parliament that extend the terms of federal institutions from four years to five. Regional administrations and opposition figures have rejected the changes, saying they weaken consensus and put Somalia’s fragile federal system at risk.
Tensions rose further after this week’s elections in Baidoa, where Laftagareen was re-elected for another five-year term. The federal government rejected the outcome, prompting the troop movement into Baidoa.
More details are expected as the situation develops.