BAIDOA, Somalia — At least 29 people were killed and 45 wounded in renewed fighting in Baidoa on Monday, hospital and security sources reported. The dead included 12 civilians and 17 soldiers, according to information from hospital emergency departments and security sources obtained by Baidoa Online.
Emergency departments at Bay Hospital and Bay Regional Hospital confirmed that 12 civilians had been killed. Security sources said 17 soldiers were also among the dead. The hospitals reported 45 people wounded in the fighting.
The clashes began at about 4:50 a.m., when residents heard heavy gunfire and bombardment in several parts of the city. The fighting involved forces backing Southwest State leader Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur “Madobe” and Darawish forces loyal to Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed “Laftagareen.”
Residents reported damage to homes during the fighting. Eight civilian houses were hit by rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire, according to local accounts. The attacks damaged the houses, although the full extent of the destruction had not been established.
Drones were also used during the clashes. A drone strike destroyed a federal government military depot in the Ali Salamey neighborhood, according to reports from the city.
The fighting spread across multiple areas of Baidoa as Laftagareen-aligned Darawish forces advanced into the city. Ugaas Hassan, a spokesperson for the forces, said his troops initially captured several neighborhoods and moved into downtown, reaching a number of important locations.
Hassan said the forces reached the front gates of the Southwest State presidential office, the Afar-Irdoodka area and two bridges. He also said his troops captured several vehicles before retreating.
The Southwest State administration led by Madobe said its forces had driven out fighters who entered the city and that calm had returned. Federal government troops were later seen in some parts of Baidoa, according to local security sources and eyewitnesses.
Leadership dispute fuels fighting
The clashes are the latest escalation in a prolonged dispute over control of Southwest State and the authority to choose its leadership. The political crisis intensified in March, after the federal government rejected Laftagareen’s disputed re-election. Federal troops took control of Baidoa on March 30, and Laftagareen later announced his resignation. He had led the state since 2018.
The dispute has left rival political and security camps competing for influence in the region. Baidoa, as the administrative capital of Southwest State, has become a focal point in that struggle. Monday’s fighting brought the confrontation into residential neighborhoods and areas around government and security sites.
Earlier clashes in August left dozens dead and 98 people wounded, including at least four civilians, according to figures reported at the time by Bay Regional Hospital. The fighting began near military positions and spread into parts of the city. Laftagareen-aligned fighters temporarily pushed government-aligned forces from some areas before government troops regained ground.
Violence flared again on Sept. 3, when fighting between Laftagareen-aligned forces and federal forces backing Madobe left dozens wounded. Bay Regional Hospital received 71 injured people, including women and children. A local journalist was among those injured and later died from his injuries.
The repeated confrontations have heightened insecurity for residents and disrupted daily life in Baidoa. The reported damage to homes in Monday’s fighting adds to the risks faced by civilians living near areas where forces exchanged fire and used heavy weapons.
Baidoa is also a major humanitarian center, hosting people displaced by conflict and drought. Its hospitals serve residents as well as displaced communities, and successive waves of casualties have added to pressure on emergency services.
The latest fighting underscores the continued cost of the unresolved political dispute in Southwest State. With casualties reported by hospitals and security sources, homes damaged, and a military depot destroyed in a drone strike, residents were left assessing the impact as security forces remained present around the city.