Fighting broke out early Thursday between Somali government forces and militias on the outskirts of Baidoa, a city in the country’s southwest, sending civilians fleeing amid reports of heavy gunfire.
Somalia’s Defense Ministry said government troops were responding to an attack by fighters loyal to Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, the former president of South West state, and said the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab also took part in the assault. Those claims could not be independently verified.
The clashes mark the latest escalation in a political and security standoff between Somalia’s federal government and Laftagareen over control of South West state. Federal forces seized control of Baidoa on March 30, prompting Laftagareen, who had governed the state since 2018, to resign.
Fighting subsided by early afternoon. There was no official word on casualties or the extent of the damage, though government troops were seen patrolling the streets afterward as residents assessed the aftermath.
