Somalia’s federal troops advance toward Baidoa as Southwest State heads to election

BAIDOA, Somalia — Armed tension surged across southern Somalia on Saturday after federal forces started moving from Buurhakaba toward defenses near Baidoa, raising the specter of a direct confrontation tied to a widening dispute over the Southwest State’s election schedule.

The operation follows the arrival of roughly 2,000 federal soldiers in Buurhakaba. Some contingents reportedly came from the Lower Shabelle region, traveling through areas controlled by militant groups without meeting resistance—an itinerary that has prompted close scrutiny from regional observers.

At the center of the standoff is the Southwest State’s plan to complete its local electoral process. Mogadishu, through the federal government at Villa Somalia, has rejected that approach, insisting on a single national electoral framework that several regional administrations have declined to accept.

Ground sources said the federal government plans to test its leverage within the next 48 hours. In anticipation, Southwest State forces have been put on high alert, with reinforcements directed toward primary defensive positions just beyond Baidoa’s city limits.

Officials and military personnel in Baidoa project confidence. “We are in the final stages of our defensive preparations,” a senior regional official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We are ready to defend our administrative autonomy against any unauthorized military movement.”

The confrontation marks a notable escalation in the broader struggle between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s federal administration and regional leadership. With both sides preparing for a possible showdown, the risk of internal conflict threatens to compound instability in a region already strained by ongoing security challenges.

AXADLETM