Heavy fighting was reported on the outskirts of Baidoa as forces loyal to ousted South West State leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen confronted government-aligned troops, adding an armed dimension to a widening dispute over control of the Somali region.
Reports differed over the precise identity of the government forces involved. Hiiraan Online described South West State security personnel fighting Laftagareen-aligned militias in the Idoow Dhagoole area north of Baidoa. Garowe Online and Horseed Media characterized the other side as forces aligned with or belonging to Somalia’s federal government. Those accounts agreed that the confrontation took place near Baidoa amid sustained political tension.
Casualties were reported but could not immediately be established independently. Hiiraan Online said deaths and injuries had occurred, without giving a confirmed total. It cited the South West administration as saying several militia members were killed and weapons and ammunition were seized. The administration did not say whether its own forces suffered losses. Horseed Media also reported deaths and injuries while emphasizing that exact figures remained unclear and officials had not issued a detailed confirmation. Garowe Online reported no immediate official casualty confirmation. The absence of a common official count meant the extent of the human toll, including the balance between civilian and combatant casualties, remained unknown in the immediate reporting.
The accounts likewise offered different details about how the fighting began. Garowe Online, citing residents and security sources, said Laftagareen loyalists attacked federal positions. Horseed Media said heavy and light weapons were used as fighting extended into several neighborhoods. Hiiraan Online placed the initial clashes north of the city. No jointly verified account of the trigger was available.
Authorities urged relatives of young fighters aligned with Laftagareen to persuade them to leave the armed group, according to Hiiraan Online. The South West administration said those who did so would receive amnesty and could return to their communities.
The violence followed Laftagareen’s removal from office on March 30 after a political deadlock and confrontations tied to disputed regional elections, Garowe Online reported. The former leader, who was in Kenya, maintained that he remained South West State’s legitimate president and said he intended to return to Baidoa. Forces loyal to him had reportedly been gathering outside the city in the preceding weeks.
Baidoa, the interim administrative capital of South West State, has become a focal point in disagreements over regional leadership, electoral arrangements and federal influence. Horseed Media said Laftagareen’s supporters claimed they intended to retake the city. There was no immediate indication in the supplied reports that formal de-escalation talks had begun.
