BAIDOA , Somalia — September 28, 2026 — Heavy fighting was reported in Baidoa on Monday after fighters loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen attacked military and police positions in the city, according to informed sources.
Clashes were reported in Cunaay and other parts of Baidoa. A resident described the fighting as among the most intense they had experienced and said Laftagareen-aligned forces had taken control of several neighborhoods.
Ugaas Hassan, the information minister in the Laftagareen-aligned administration, said in a Facebook post that Darawish forces had attacked federal positions and were in downtown Baidoa. He urged residents to remain indoors.
Fighting was reported around Model School, Suuqa Xoolaha, the Cunaay intersection and Afar Irdoodka. The reports did not establish which side controlled each of those locations.
Bay Regional Hospital reported that two civilians had been injured. No confirmed information was immediately available about fatalities or the number of people displaced by the fighting.
Electricity was reported to have been cut across Baidoa as clashes continued. The cause of the outage and its duration were not immediately known.
The fighting pits Laftagareen-aligned Darawish forces against federal troops and police supporting the administration led by House Speaker Sheikh Aadan Maxamed Nuur, also known as Aden Madobe. The information available did not establish the circumstances that triggered Monday’s attack.
Residents were urged to stay indoors as gunfire spread across multiple parts of the city. The extent of damage to homes, businesses or public facilities was not immediately clear.
The reported advance into neighborhoods and the claim that fighters were downtown marked a serious escalation in the latest round of violence. However, the accounts of territorial control came from residents and a representative of the Laftagareen-aligned administration and could not be independently confirmed.
Recent history of clashes
The fighting comes after months of tension over political authority in South West State, where federal forces and Laftagareen-aligned forces have clashed repeatedly over control of Baidoa.
On March 30, federal troops took control of the city, prompting Laftagareen to resign as regional president. The takeover followed a dispute between his administration and the federal government, including disagreements over constitutional changes and the relationship between Mogadishu and regional states. Baidoa is the administrative center of South West State and lies about 245 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu.
On August 17, renewed fighting broke out in Baidoa between federal forces and fighters loyal to Laftagareen. The Associated Press reported that the clashes began early in the day and that Laftagareen-aligned fighters briefly took parts of the city before government forces regained control. Bay Regional Hospital reported four civilians killed and 98 injured in that fighting.
Further clashes were reported on September 3, when forces loyal to Laftagareen fought government troops on the outskirts of Baidoa. The Associated Press reported that residents fled their homes amid heavy gunfire; Bay Regional Hospital said it had treated 71 wounded people and recorded one civilian death.
Monday’s fighting was reported in populated neighborhoods, adding to concerns for civilians caught near the clashes. Baidoa also hosts large numbers of people displaced by conflict and drought, making access to electricity and medical care especially important during periods of insecurity.
The latest clashes show that the dispute over control of South West State continues to involve armed confrontations inside Baidoa. The reported fighting across several neighborhoods and the claim of a presence downtown suggest that the confrontation has reached key parts of the city.