Somali Army Repels Rebel Attack in Baidoa

Somali government forces say they have driven opposition fighters out of Baidoa, the largest city in South West State, following hours of intense fighting.

The clashes began before dawn on Monday when fighters loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen attacked positions held by federal troops, according to Somalia’s Defence Ministry.

The ministry said the attackers used vehicles loaded with explosives but were repelled by government forces, which claimed to have killed 30 fighters. It also accused Laftagareen’s forces of fighting alongside al-Shabab, an armed group linked to al-Qaeda.

Laftagareen’s camp, however, claimed earlier that its forces had captured the city centre.

Residents described the fighting as the most intense in Baidoa since the Somali army seized control of the city in March. Doctors Without Borders said several wounded people had arrived at its hospital and that fighting had taken place on two fronts.

Baidoa, located about 245km northwest of the capital Mogadishu, is home to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by conflict and climate-related disasters.

The latest violence comes amid a wider political crisis in Somalia. Laftagareen broke ties with the federal government in March following controversial constitutional changes that extended President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term and significantly altered the country’s power-sharing system.

The continuing clashes have worsened Somalia’s humanitarian crisis, with millions of people facing severe food shortages, malnutrition and the risk of famine.

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