Somali federal troops have driven opposition forces out of Baidoa, one of the country’s largest cities, following hours of heavy fighting that left several people dead.
The clashes erupted in the city centre on Monday after fighters loyal to former South West State leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen entered Baidoa from two directions and confronted federal forces.
Somalia’s Defence Ministry said the federal troops came under attack before dawn from fighters using vehicles loaded with explosives. The ministry said government forces repelled the assault and drove the attackers out of the city, claiming that about 30 opposition fighters were killed.
Residents, however, reported casualties on both sides as well as civilian deaths. Local elder Farah Ibrahim told Reuters he had seen 10 bodies, including four civilians and six soldiers from both sides. The figures could not be independently verified.
Videos verified by Reuters showed federal soldiers firing from an armoured vehicle, while injured civilians were being carried through the streets as the fighting continued.
The confrontation is the latest escalation in the political and security dispute between Somalia’s federal government and regional authorities opposed to what they see as increasing control from Mogadishu.
Baidoa has remained under federal control since March, when government forces seized the city following the decision by Laftagareen’s administration to sever ties with the federal government. Laftagareen subsequently resigned from his position.
The renewed violence is particularly concerning because Baidoa is already facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The city hosts hundreds of thousands of people displaced by conflict and hunger, while a July survey by Médecins Sans Frontières found that one in four children at displacement sites was severely malnourished.
The fighting also comes as Somalia continues to battle the long-running al-Shabaab insurgency, while political disagreements between the federal government and regional authorities continue to challenge efforts to maintain stability.
For now, federal forces say they have regained control of Baidoa after pushing the opposition fighters out, although the political dispute that triggered the latest confrontation remains unresolved.
