Somalia’s Southwest state accuses federal government of using Turkish-trained forces as tensions rise

Monday March 30, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Southwest State on Sunday accused the federal government of turning Turkish-trained troops and military hardware donated by Türkiye against its own regional administration, a claim that adds fresh fuel to an already volatile political and security standoff.

In a statement, the Southwest State presidency said forces trained by Türkiye for counterterrorism missions had been deployed in an operation directed at the regional leadership. It also alleged that Turkish drones were backing federal troops as they moved toward Baidoa, the state’s interim administrative capital.

“The Turkish government has been a friend of the Somali people, but it now appears to be participating in the civil war in Somalia,” the statement said. “Somali forces trained by our Turkish brothers and Turkish-donated armored vehicles for counterterrorism have been used in an attack against the people of the Southwest.”

The regional government urged Ankara to make sure its assistance is not drawn into domestic political disputes and called for caution in the use of foreign-supplied military equipment.

Türkiye has long been one of Somalia’s closest partners, helping rebuild the country’s security institutions, training elite Somali units and supplying both military and humanitarian aid. Neither Turkish officials nor Somalia’s federal authorities had immediately responded to the accusations.

At the same time, Somali National Army (SNA) forces and allied fighters reported advancing toward Baidoa were ambushed by al-Shabab militants on Sunday in the Daynuuney area of Bay region.

A statement from the federal government said more than 20 militants were killed in the clash and that roadblocks set up by the insurgents were removed.

“The operation resulted in the killing of more than 20 members of the Khawarij and the destruction of checkpoints they had established,” the statement said, using the government’s term for al-Shabab.

The attack highlighted the enduring threat posed by the al-Qaida-linked group even as political tensions between Somali authorities continued to rise.

In a sharp counterattack, the federal government rejected the Southwest administration’s allegations as false and leveled its own accusations at the regional leadership. Mogadishu said Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen and regional parliament Speaker Ali Said Fiqi had ties to al-Shabab, an allegation the regional authorities have not publicly addressed.

“In implementing agreements they have entered into, they have spread false information against international partners supporting the National Army while defending Khawarij militias defeated in the war,” the federal government said.

It added that anyone found involved in terrorist activity would be held accountable.

The escalating exchange comes as the rift widens between the federal government and several member states, including Southwest, Puntland State and Jubbaland. At the center of the dispute are constitutional amendments approved 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.

Pressure has intensified further after disputed elections in Baidoa returned President Laftagareen to office. The federal government has rejected the result, stoking fears that the confrontation could turn violent.