fighting

Monday March 30, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Federal government forces, reinforced by armed groups linked to opposition factions in Southwest State, moved into Baidoa on Monday after intense clashes with the Southwest regional administration. Witnesses said gunfire broke out heavily on the town’s outskirts earlier in the day as the rival sides fought for control of strategic points in the interim administrative capital. The death toll was not immediately known, and neither side had issued official casualty figures. Footage…

Monday March 30, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Heavy fighting erupted on Monday in and around Baidoa, pitting Southwest State forces against federal government troops and allied armed groups loyal to the regional administration. Residents said intense bursts of gunfire rang out from early morning and continued for hours. The violence reportedly began near a livestock market close to a checkpoint on the main road connecting Baidoa and Mogadishu, then spread into other parts of the town. The number of casualties remains unclear, and…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Southwest State’s information minister on Monday denied social media reports that fighting erupted overnight in Baidoa, insisting the regional capital remains calm despite unverified accounts of a mortar incident near a military installation. Minister says “no shooting” occurred and daily life is normal in Baidoa Unconfirmed online claims alleged a mortar round landed near a Southwest State base Officials accuse unnamed groups in Mogadishu of spreading misinformation Denial comes amid broader political…

Sunday, March 15, 2026 BAIDOA, Somalia (AX) — Armed fighters aligned with opposition figures and clan leaders clashed Saturday with Southwest state security forces in the Qansahdhere district of Bay region, residents said, reporting hours of heavy gunfire and a tense, fast-moving situation. Local sources said both heavy and light weapons were used as the confrontation unfolded from early in the day and continued for several hours. Casualties were reported on both sides, though precise figures could not be independently…

Al-Shabaab attacks Jubaland base in Kuday; outcome disputed KISMAYO, Somalia — Al-Shabaab fighters launched a pre-dawn assault Wednesday on a Jubaland security forces base in Kuday, a strategic coastal area in Lower Jubba about 60 kilometers south of the port city of Kismayo, according to local sources. Residents said the attack began with explosions that were followed by direct clashes between government soldiers and the militants around the base on Kuday island. The scale of the fighting and the extent of damage remained…

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said a new 20-point plan aimed at ending Russia’s invasion would freeze the current front line and open the way to possible troop withdrawals and demilitarized zones, while dropping a requirement that Kyiv legally renounce its NATO aspirations. Zelensky said the latest draft, agreed by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators, is now being reviewed by Russia. He acknowledged some provisions are unpalatable to him and warned that the Kremlin is unlikely to abandon its hardline territorial demands.…

Cambodia shuts border crossings with Thailand as Bangkok denies Trump claim of ceasefire Cambodia has closed all official crossings with Thailand amid days of cross-border clashes, hours after Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul contradicted former U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that the two countries had agreed to halt fighting. The Interior Ministry in Phnom Penh said it would “suspend all entry and exit movements at all Cambodia-Thailand border crossings” effective immediately, following new fatalities along…

Puntland State’s “victory” over ISIS-Somalia is tentative — and raises hard questions about what comes next BOSASO, Somalia — After nearly a year of focused operations in the Cal‑Miskaat highlands and the rugged valleys of Bari, Puntland State’s regional president declared this week that Islamic State–Somalia had been broken as a fighting force. Said Abdullahi Deni told members of the regional parliament that the campaign, launched in December 2024 with support from the United States and regional partners, had “destroyed…

About 13,000 Ethiopian and allied troops will exit Somalia by year's end, making way for a revamped mission anticipated to commence the following year. “Ethiopia’s recent solo actions, like signing an illegitimate pact with Somalia's northern area, breach our sovereign rights and damage the trust needed for peacekeeping,” declared Somalia’s Foreign Ministry in a Wednesday pronouncement. Regional diplomats fret over escalating tensions related to troop involvement in the upcoming peacekeeping force, fearing it might…

Anger is rising among Ivorian cashew nuts. Dozens of cashew processing plants in Côte d'Ivoire are closed. The country, a world leader in cashew production, processes only 10% of its production locally. Despite the political will to increase this share,…