Fresh fighting in Baidoa broke out on Monday morning as forces loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, widely known as Laftagareen, clashed with federal government troops defending the rival administration of Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur, known as Madobe.
Residents in several neighbourhoods reported sustained gunfire and at least two powerful explosions, according to Baidoa Online, a local outlet tracking developments inside the South West State capital. Local reports suggested the blasts may have come from mortar shells, though the weapons used and the exact locations struck could not be confirmed.
The fighting in Baidoa marks a serious escalation of a long running political dispute over who holds the legal right to lead South West State. Laftagareen insists he remains the legitimate regional president. The federal government in Mogadishu backs Madobe instead.
A spokesperson for the Laftagareen-aligned forces said fighters had entered the city and captured several areas. He called the offensive a fight for freedom and urged residents to join the operation, adding that forces sent from Mogadishu would be defeated.
Ugaas Hassan Abdi Mohamed, a separate spokesman for the Laftagareen-aligned administration, called on rival fighters still armed inside Baidoa to surrender to the South West Darwish forces. He used the terms Salbalaar and Af-Balaar to describe the opposing troops, politically loaded labels rather than verified military designations.
Federal government-backed forces defending Madobe’s administration were reported to be resisting the assault. Accounts from inside the city said Laftagareen-aligned fighters had advanced into Siliga, Warshadda Hassay, Boonkaay and Bangi Qiyaamay, with some reaching parts of the city centre.
Neither side has given a full account of which areas it controls. Tracking the fighting in Baidoa also remained difficult because Hormuud Telecom services were disrupted across the city as the clashes intensified, cutting off many residents from the outside world.
Civilian casualties were reported as the violence spread into residential districts. An eyewitness said he saw young men carrying at least two injured civilians away from the Warshadda Hassay area after a rocket propelled grenade struck a nearby house, setting two homes on fire. It was not clear which side fired the weapon.
No hospital or government official has released a verified casualty toll. The identities and conditions of the wounded also remain unknown, and the true human cost of the fighting in Baidoa may not be clear for days.
Baidoa serves as the administrative capital of South West State and hosts one of Somalia’s largest populations of internally displaced people, along with international humanitarian agencies. Continued fighting in Baidoa threatens to cut off aid deliveries and disrupt access to hospitals and markets for thousands of vulnerable families.
The clash also risks weakening operations against Al-Shabaab, which remains active across parts of South West State. Federal and regional forces distracted by an internal power struggle may have fewer resources to spare for the fight against the militant group.
Analysts warn that if the fighting in Baidoa continues, displacement could rise sharply across South West State, placing additional pressure on humanitarian agencies already struggling to meet growing needs.
Neither the federal government nor the Madobe administration had issued a detailed response to the surrender call or offered an assessment of the battlefield situation by the time of publication. For now, the fighting in Baidoa leaves the city split between rival claims, with residents bearing the immediate risk.
