Somalia’s Southwest State accuses federal officials of al-Shabab links; SNA unit backs stance

The Southwest State officials accused unnamed federal government figures of maintaining links with al-Shabab and arming militias in Buur Hakaba and that deepening tensions with Mogadishu.

Authorities in Baidoa said in statements and public remarks that some federal ministers and lawmakers were involved in organizing and supplying armed groups actively in Buur Hakaba district of Bay region.

Southwest Security Minister Hassan Abdulkadir asserted that the fighters operating there are not part of recognized state forces but militias he linked to al-Shabab.

“These groups are not government forces. They are specially organized militias, and it is clear that they are being used to disrupt security,”

Abdulkadir told reporters and added that the groups had been provided with weapons and suggested federal authorities were behind their emergence.

The administration further claimed that new armed outfits with structures and tactics resembling al-Shabab have appeared in parts of southern Somali where warning of wider security risks.

The federal government has not publicly responded to the allegations.

Independent verification was not available.

The accusations follow Southwest State’s announcement a day earlier that it was suspending all cooperation with the federal government, citing repeated interference in its political and security affairs. At a recent press conference, regional officials accused Mogadishu of trying to destabilize the state and remove President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen.

In a sign of the widening rift, the Somali National Army’s 60th Division, headquartered in Baidoa, declared support for the Southwest administration’s stance. Local media reports and videos circulating on social media showed troops expressing solidarity with the regional leadership.

The standoff comes amid broader disputes over constitutional amendments and the electoral framework. Puntland State and Jubbaland have also cut formal ties with Mogadishu, underscoring strains within Somalia’s federal system.