Spokesperson says President Abdiaziz Laftagareen is fine, has no problems

Monday March 30, 2026

Baidoa (AX) — Federal government troops, supported by armed groups allied with opposition figures in Southwest State, pushed into Baidoa on Monday after fierce clashes with the Southwest regional administration.

Witnesses said heavy gunfire rattled the town’s outskirts earlier in the day as the two sides fought over control of strategic sites in the interim administrative capital. The scale of the casualties remains uncertain, and neither camp has issued official numbers.

Footage circulating on social media showed the newly appointed Bay Regional Police Commander, Sadiiq Doodishe, moving through Baidoa neighborhoods with his fighters. The same video also captured Somalia’s Minister of Livestock, Hassan Hussein Eelaay, a critic of President Laftagareen, entering the city with federal-aligned forces.

Somali National Television said security forces were carrying out operations in Baidoa aimed at restoring calm after, in its account, clearing troops loyal to Southwest president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen.

Authorities also announced the reopening of the vital Baidoa-Daynuunay road, a route that had been disrupted by recent fighting with the al-Qaida-linked militant group Al-Shabab.

Even with federal forces advancing, President Laftagareen and senior members of his administration remained inside the presidential palace in Baidoa.

His spokesman, Ugaas Hassan Abdi Mohamed, said the president was safe and was holding consultations with security officials.

“The president is fine and has no problems,” he said.

He also dismissed reports that Ethiopian troops serving with the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) were guarding the airport or providing extra security.

“They were already in control; there is no new security arrangement,” he added.

African Union troops, including Ethiopian contingents, have been stationed for years in Baidoa and other major towns across Southwest state, where they protect key sites such as the airport and government buildings.

The clashes signal a sharp escalation in an expanding political standoff between Mogadishu and several federal member states, among them Southwest, Puntland State and Jubbaland.

At the center of the dispute are constitutional amendments passed by Somalia’s federal parliament that extended the terms of federal institutions from four years to five. Regional authorities and opposition groups have rejected the changes, saying they weaken consensus and put Somalia’s fragile federal arrangement at risk.

Pressure mounted further after this week’s elections in Baidoa, where Laftagareen was returned to office for another five-year term. The federal government rejected the outcome, prompting the troop movement into Baidoa.

More details are expected as the situation develops.