Mogadishu (AX) — Former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen on Friday accused Somalia’s federal government of attacking civilians and political rivals in South West State and Doolow district in the Gedo region.
In a letter sent to the United States, United Nations, European Union, African Union, IGAD, diplomatic missions and Somali opposition groups, Laftagareen alleged that federal forces had waged a six-month military campaign against his former administration and deployed aircraft to strike villages around Baidoa.
- Advertisement -
The allegations could not be independently verified. Somalia’s federal government has previously characterized forces loyal to Laftagareen as armed militias attempting to destabilize South West State and accused them of fighting alongside al-Shabab, an allegation Laftagareen rejects.
Laftagareen said airstrikes over the past two months had hit the villages of Hartiqanle, Ceel Doon, Ceel Ka Naho, Saaydheelow and Sagara Gali, killing civilians and livestock. He alleged that Cessna aircraft operating from Mogadishu’s international airport were involved in the attacks.
He provided no casualty figures or evidence to support the claims in the letter.
Laftagareen also renewed his allegation that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government struck an understanding with al-Shabab in March, allowing federal troops to use roads under the militant group’s control while advancing toward Baidoa.
The federal government has not publicly confirmed such an arrangement, and the allegation has not been independently verified.
Laftagareen’s letter calls Mohamud a “former president,” reflecting the opposition’s position that his constitutional mandate ended in May. The federal government rejects that view, saying constitutional amendments that extended presidential and parliamentary terms to five years keep Mohamud in office.
He also requested an international investigation into a Sept. 3 explosion at the Doolow home of former Somali Custodial Corps commander Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Aden, widely known as Mahad Shub.
“Rather than focusing on fighting Al-Shabaab, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has focused on targeting his political opponents. In a separate attack in Doolow, Turkish F-16 aircraft operating under the command of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Speaker Jama attacked Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Abdi, known as General Shub.”
“These actions cannot be presented as a legitimate counterterrorism operation. They constitute an attack on the people of Southwest State and their future. They endanger civilians, undermine Southwest State’s lawful administration and threaten Somalia’s stability.”
Independent reporting has not confirmed that an F-16 took part in the incident.
Early accounts from Doolow described the blast as a drone strike, while opposition figures blamed Türkiye and Somalia’s federal government. Mogadishu denied conducting an airstrike and said preliminary findings suggested explosives being handled inside the compound caused the explosion. The government announced a fact-finding investigation.
No independently verified account has determined who was responsible.
Laftagareen appealed to international partners to investigate the Doolow explosion, alleged strikes near Baidoa, the activities of federal forces in South West State and his claims of government contacts with al-Shabab.
He further urged them to press for an end to military operations and guarantee investigators access to affected communities, witnesses, aircraft, flight records and command records.
The letter comes as Somalia faces one of its most serious federal-regional confrontations of the year.
Federal forces seized control of Baidoa on March 30 following a political dispute between Laftagareen and Mohamud’s government over constitutional changes, elections and control of South West State. Laftagareen later resigned and left the city.
His supporters have continued to reject the replacement regional administration and maintain armed forces outside Baidoa.
Clashes have erupted repeatedly since then.
On Sept. 3, forces loyal to Laftagareen launched an assault on Baidoa, triggering hours of fighting with federal and regional security forces. Somalia’s Defense Ministry said al-Shabab fighters took part alongside Laftagareen’s forces, though the claim could not be independently verified. Laftagareen’s camp has denied having any ties to the militant group.
Bay Regional Hospital treated 71 wounded people, including 15 women, and received one civilian who died in the fighting, a hospital official told The Associated Press. Earlier clashes in and around Baidoa the previous month killed at least four civilians and wounded 98 others.
The federal government recognizes a successor administration in Baidoa, but Laftagareen and his allies continue to dispute the legitimacy of the political transition.
The standoff forms part of wider tensions between Mogadishu, regional leaders and opposition figures over constitutional amendments and the federal government’s proposal to replace Somalia’s longstanding indirect electoral system with direct voting.
In Friday’s letter, Laftagareen portrayed the conflict as an assault on South West State rather than a counterterrorism operation and called on international partners to hold accountable anyone found responsible for attacks against civilians.
The Somali government, meanwhile, says its forces are protecting the regional capital from armed groups and securing the area against al-Shabab and forces loyal to the former regional leader.
