BAIDOA, Somalia —OCT,26-2026- Heavy fighting reportedly continued for a second consecutive day in Baay-burjeed, on the outskirts of Baidoa, as Darawish forces loyal to Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Lafta Gareen claimed territorial gains against federal troops supporting the administration of Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe.
Preliminary information supplied for this report indicates that Lafta Gareen’s forces claimed to have captured Baay-burjeed and seized several armed vehicles. Neither the territorial claim nor the number, ownership and condition of the vehicles could be independently verified. Control of the area remains uncertain, with no independently established account of the latest battlefield developments.
The same information places federal forces supporting Madobe in Baidoa’s Maaya-fuulka area and describes substantial reinforcements of Lafta Gareen loyalists arriving near the city during the preceding 24 hours. The size of those deployments, their precise locations and their intended operations remain unconfirmed. No verified casualty figures were available for the latest fighting.
The reported confrontation follows months of armed challenges to federal authority around Baidoa. On October 17, Somali Guardian reported that Lafta Gareen’s forces had captured Burhakaba, Dinsor, Berdale and Awdinle after previously taking Qansah-dhere. Those reported advances suggested growing pressure on federal positions, although a complete, independently verified map of territorial control was unavailable.
If confirmed, the latest gains at Baay-burjeed would add to that pressure. However, capturing an outlying position would not establish control over Baidoa itself. Claims of battlefield success require particular caution in a conflict where opposing camps have repeatedly offered competing accounts of military advances and their ability to hold contested ground.
Baidoa has experienced several major confrontations since federal forces entered the city in March. On May 14, Shabelle Media Network reported heavy fighting between government troops and Lafta Gareen loyalists outside the city. The report identified two Somali National Army officers, Yoonis Adan and Ali Adoow, among those killed, while the overall toll remained unconfirmed.
Further violence followed in July. Reporting on July 16 described overnight attacks by Lafta Gareen loyalists against army positions, including bases occupied by Gorgor special forces and military police. Exchanges of gunfire were reported around Horseed neighbourhood, illustrating how the contest had extended beyond rural approaches into populated parts of Baidoa.
Another outbreak in early September brought documented civilian casualties. A doctor at Bay Regional Hospital said the facility received 24 wounded people and one civilian who had died. Federal authorities described their operations as a response to attacks. That casualty account concerns the September violence and should not be interpreted as a toll from the current confrontation.
On September 28, fighting again spread across several neighbourhoods, including Maayafuulka, Boonkaay, Barwaaqo and Munaawar. Forces supporting Madobe said they had defended their positions, while Lafta Gareen’s camp claimed to have entered the city and captured sections of it. Reports of shelling near the presidential palace further demonstrated the vulnerability of central government positions and surrounding residential areas.
Behind the recurring battles lies an unresolved legitimacy crisis. Federal troops took control of Baidoa on March 30, and Lafta Gareen announced his resignation shortly after securing another disputed term. His administration had opposed federal constitutional changes and broken relations with Mogadishu. The takeover turned an escalating political confrontation into a struggle over control of regional institutions.
Despite announcing his resignation, Lafta Gareen subsequently maintained that he remained South West State’s lawful president. In May, he publicly invoked his March re-election as the basis for that claim. His position placed his supporters in direct opposition to the political transition backed by the federal government and challenged the authority of the succeeding administration.
Madobe assumed office in June following a regional election and a handover from interim leader Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi. Federal officials, regional representatives and traditional elders attended the ceremony. The transfer established a successor administration in Baidoa, but subsequent armed confrontations demonstrated that it had not produced an accepted settlement among the rival political and security factions.