MOGADISHU, Somalia (Horn post) Somalian police said casualties were reported following heavy fighting in the southwestern city of Baidoa on Saturday, as clashes erupted between forces loyal to Southwest State leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen and federal government troops stationed in the city.
Bay regional police commander Sadiq Duushisho told local media in Baidoa that deaths and injuries had resulted from the morning fighting, though he did not provide exact casualty figures.
“This morning, their dead and wounded were lying across different areas, and we are still recovering them,” Duushisho said while referring to the forces that attacked Baidoa earlier in the day.
He did not specify whether federal government forces also suffered casualties.
Forces loyal to Laftagareen have not publicly commented on losses linked to the fighting.
Residents and local sources in Baidoa reported intense clashes inside the city between troops aligned with the Southwest State administration and Somali federal government forces. Casualty figures remain independently unverified.
Videos circulating on social media, purportedly showing wounded soldiers from the fighting, could not immediately be authenticated.
Meanwhile, Ugas Hassan, a spokesperson for the administration aligned with Laftagareen, claimed in a Facebook post that “Southwest State Darawiish forces have fully taken control of Baidoa,” a statement that could not be independently verified.
The latest violence follows escalating tensions in the strategic regional capital after Somali federal government forces and allied units entered Baidoa on March 30, 2026, taking control of much of the city and removing the administration led by Laftagareen.
The situation in Baidoa remains tense amid fears of further clashes and instability in Somalia’s Southwest region.
Prepared by:
Horn post staff
