Somali president chairs Southwest security conference after Baidoa mortar attack

Tuesday April 7, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday night convened a high-level security meeting in Baidoa, just days after mortar fire hit the city’s airport soon after his arrival.

The session brought together senior military and security officials and centered on efforts to calm the Southwest region after a period of political turbulence and mounting security risks.

According to officials, the president was briefed in detail on plans to step up operations against al-Shabab, improve cooperation among security agencies and re-establish public order in Baidoa, the interim capital of Southwest State.

Mohamud called for a single chain of command and firmer oversight of armed groups operating outside the country’s formal institutions.

“We must work together to ensure security and bring all armed forces under official command,” the president told participants, stressing the need to restore public trust in state institutions.

Among those present were Interim Southwest leader Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi, federal security chiefs and regional officials.

The talks followed mortar rounds fired near Baidoa airport shortly after the president landed last week. Security analysts said the attack exposed a serious breach and highlighted how unstable conditions remain in the city.

In the aftermath, authorities imposed a nighttime curfew in Baidoa and banned the carrying of weapons after dark except for authorized security personnel, including police and the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).

Somali Police Force Commander Brig. Gen. Asad Osman Abdullahi, who has been directing security efforts in the city, ordered an immediate tightening of measures. The steps include more night patrols and stricter screening of people and vehicles entering Baidoa.

Police have been assigned responsibility for internal security inside the city, while the Somali National Army has deployed troops around Baidoa to strengthen defensive lines.

Armed groups that have not yet been fully incorporated into the national army have been told to stay in their camps during the integration process and barred from bringing weapons into the city.

The new restrictions come after the federal government recently took control of Baidoa and appointed an interim administration, following political tensions that forced the resignation of Southwest President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen.

Federal officials say they are aiming to restore stability and prepare the region for Somalia’s planned one-person, one-vote elections, even as insecurity and political divisions continue to strain the country’s fragile federal system.