suwandi-tan
Heavy fighting erupted in the southwestern Somali city of Baidoa on Monday, as national army troops confronted thousands of local fighters loyal to the ousted president of South West State, according to accounts from military officials and aid agencies. The violence marked the third major outbreak of hostilities in the city in just six weeks, deepening a political and security crisis that has left civilians increasingly trapped in the crossfire.
According to senior army commander Mohamed Ali, government forces met the advancing fighters with resistance, inflicting what he described as heavy casualties and pushing them out of the city. Ali, who spoke to the AFP news agency, said the attacking force had deployed vehicles packed with explosives as well as explosive-laden drones, underscoring the increasingly sophisticated tactics being used in the confrontation.
The assault began in the morning when thousands of local fighters entered Baidoa, the administrative capital of South West State. Witnesses reported the involvement of fighter jets and drones, suggesting that the battle has escalated well beyond the small-arms skirmishes that have periodically unsettled the region in recent months.
At the center of the conflict is Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, the regional president who was removed from power by federal troops in March. Laftagareen has refused to accept his dismissal and has repeatedly attempted to regain control of Baidoa and the surrounding territory. In a statement posted to social media, he congratulated his fighters on the operation, framing the offensive as an effort to "maintain security [and] restore stability and diversity" in the city — a justification that federal authorities firmly reject.
The political rupture between Mogadishu and several of Somalia's federal member states has been building for some time. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's government has faced mounting opposition from regional leaders who accuse the central administration of overreach. The decision to send troops to remove Laftagareen in March was seen by his supporters as an unconstitutional intervention, while the federal government has portrayed it as a necessary step to assert control over a strategically vital region.
The human cost of Monday's fighting quickly became apparent. The medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, confirmed that three people had died, including a healthcare worker. Bay Regional Hospital, which operates in coordination with the Ministry of Health, reported receiving 69 patients affected by the violence, among them five children. The figures are likely to rise as more casualties are brought in from neighborhoods that remain inaccessible.
Residents described a day of unrelenting chaos. Hussein Abdifatah, a local resident who spoke to AFP, said the fighting had been intense from morning until night and that civilians were struggling to escape. "Most of the civilians have difficulties fleeing because both sides are fighting everywhere," he said, capturing the sense of encirclement that has become a grim feature of life in Baidoa.
Access to medical care has emerged as a particularly urgent concern. Roads leading to hospitals in the city were blocked by the fighting, and MSF warned that many wounded people were unable to reach treatment in time. The organization also reported that a health facility had been severely damaged in the clashes and that an ambulance had been looted — a stark violation of the neutrality that humanitarian operations depend upon.
Two medical staff members working with MSF teams were robbed, and one of them was injured, according to the aid agency. The incidents highlight the precarious position of health workers in a city where front lines can shift rapidly and armed actors often operate with little regard for civilian infrastructure. Dr Elshafie Mohammed, MSF's Somalia representative, condemned the pattern of violence, noting that it was the third time in six weeks that fighting had engulfed Baidoa.
"It is unacceptable that civilians and healthcare are being caught up in violence," Mohammed said, in a statement that reflected growing frustration among humanitarian organizations operating in the region. The repeated cycles of fighting have stretched medical resources thin and forced aid groups to weigh the risks of continuing operations against the needs of a population already enduring drought, displacement, and endemic insecurity.
The current crisis follows two earlier rounds of violence that already demonstrated the fragility of the situation. On August 17, clashes broke out in Baidoa, and Bay Regional Hospital reported four deaths and 94 wounded. Then, on September 3, another outbreak of fighting saw 71 people treated for injuries and one death recorded. Each successive episode has eroded whatever stability had been restored in the intervening periods, leaving residents with little confidence that the calm will hold.
For the federal government, holding Baidoa is both a military and a political imperative. The city serves as a key administrative hub in Somalia's southwest and a staging point for operations against the armed group al-Shabab, which has long exploited local grievances and political disarray. Losing Baidoa to Laftagareen's forces would represent a significant setback for President Mohamud's authority and could embolden other regional leaders who are already skeptical of Mogadishu's centralizing agenda.
Conversely, Laftagareen's persistent attempts to reclaim power reflect the deep-seated tensions within Somalia's federal system, where the division of authority between the national government and member states remains contested. His ability to mobilize thousands of fighters suggests that he retains substantial support in the region, complicating any straightforward military resolution to the standoff.
The implications extend beyond Baidoa itself. Continued fighting risks creating a security vacuum that extremist groups could exploit, while the displacement of civilians and the destruction of health infrastructure deepen a humanitarian crisis that already ranks among the world's most severe. Aid agencies are warning that without a political settlement, the cycles of violence are likely to continue, with civilians paying the highest price.
As of Monday evening, the situation in Baidoa remained volatile, with government forces claiming to have regained control while allied fighters maintained a presence in parts of the city. The coming days will determine whether the latest outbreak subsides into another uneasy pause or escalates into a broader confrontation with lasting consequences for South West State and for Somalia's fragile federal project.
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