clashes

BAIDOA, Somalia — Intense fighting flared Monday on the outskirts of Baidoa, where Southwest State security forces battled troops from the Federal Government of Somalia backed by armed militias, according to officials and witnesses, in the latest sign that the region’s political standoff is deepening. The confrontation unfolded in the peri-urban belt around the city and involved both light and heavy weaponry. Southwest State media said its regional forces pushed back what it described as an attempt by “armed groups” to force…

Monday March 30, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Fresh fighting and mounting tensions in Somalia’s Southwest State have driven an estimated 45,000 people from their homes, pushing already strained families into areas where access to basic services and humanitarian aid is thin, the United Nations said Friday. In a statement released in Mogadishu, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cited Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia George Conway as voicing serious alarm over the worsening crisis, especially for…

Friday March 20, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Southwest State security forces said they detained several armed men on the outskirts of Baidoa on Thursday after intense clashes with fighters aligned with the regional opposition. Officials said in a statement that the detainees belong to opposition groups they allege are linked to the Federal Government of Somalia. Mogadishu has not commented on the accusation. One of the captured men told local media he is from Buurhakaba district and dropped his weapon when the shooting began. He…

Somalia: Heavy fighting erupts in Qansahdhere as opposition claims control QANSAHDHERE, Somalia — Heavy fighting broke out early Saturday in and around the Bay region district of Qansahdhere, as fighters styling themselves the South West Liberation Front clashed with regional security forces loyal to President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen. Residents reported several hours of intense combat, with both heavy and light weapons rattling the town before dawn and through the morning. While casualty figures remain…

ISTANBUL — Istanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, went on trial Monday in a sweeping corruption case that opposition leaders and rights groups call a politically motivated effort to block his path to the presidency. The hearing in Silivri, on the outskirts of Istanbul, was suspended after roughly 15 minutes amid chaos and procedural disputes. Arrested on March 19 last year — the day he was named the presidential candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) — Imamoglu has been held ever since. He is…

Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 HARGEISA (AX) — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro on Thursday called for an immediate end to clan fighting in the Waqdaria and Shidan areas of Lasqoray district in the Sanaag region, urging all sides to respect the sanctity of Ramadan as casualties mounted in days of escalating tension. “I call on those who have been killing each other to stop the fighting, because the blood of Islam is forbidden,” Irro said, framing the appeal in religious terms and stressing…

North Western State of Somalia clans agree to cease-fire after deadly clashes in Awdal and Salal, minister says HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia (AX) — Two clans that recently fought deadly battles in western North Western State of Somalia have agreed to end hostilities after a government-backed reconciliation push, officials said Saturday, as authorities announced arrests and fresh deployments to stabilize the border region. The fighting, which flared in parts of the Awdal and Salal regions, left several people dead…

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned anti-Olympics protesters as “enemies of Italy” after clashes in Milan and sabotage on the national rail network disrupted travel on the first full day of competition at the Winter Games co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Police used water cannon to disperse crowds after parts of a demonstration in Italy’s financial capital turned violent last night. An estimated 10,000 people took to the streets over housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Games,…

Somali Cabinet splits over deadly Baidoa clashes, exposing rifts with Southwest State MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali Cabinet meeting on Thursday erupted into a rare public rift over deadly clashes in Baidoa, with ministers trading accusations over who is to blame for two days of violence and what it means for security and politics in the Southwest State. The dispute broke open as ministers debated the unrest that has gripped Baidoa over the past 48 hours. According to ministers in the room, the exchange laid bare a widening…

U.S. F-35C downs Iranian drone near carrier as tanker confrontation tests path to nuclear talks A U.S. fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East today, the Pentagon said, in a flare-up at sea that coincided with a separate attempt by Iranian forces to detain a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is still expected “to have conversations with the Iranians late this week,” despite…