Darawish forces loyal to former Southwest State president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed “Laftagareen” are reportedly close to taking control of Diinsoor district in Somalia’s Bay region, according to senior security officials, following their reported capture of nearby Qansax-Dheere.

The officials said large numbers of troops travelling on motorcycles had been seen on Diinsoor’s outskirts. Their reported arrival signals a possible expansion of the campaign by Laftagareen’s supporters to regain territory after federal forces removed his administration from Baidoa earlier this year.

If the forces capture Diinsoor, it would become the second district seized in their latest campaign since Laftagareen lost power in Baidoa. The development would add another territorial dimension to a struggle in which rival administrations continue to claim authority over Southwest State.

Qansax-Dheere takeover

The reported movement towards Diinsoor follows the capture of Qansax-Dheere on Thursday, October 8, which Laftagareen’s camp presented as the first district secured in a broader effort to restore its administration.

Mohamed Hussein Joon, spokesman for the Laftagareen-aligned administration, said Darawish troops had entered Qansax-Dheere and assumed control, according to Baidoa Online. He described the takeover as a return of the district to his administration’s authority and urged communities elsewhere to prepare for similar deployments.

Joon also said his camp expected to take Baidoa in the coming days. That assertion represented the faction’s stated ambition rather than confirmation of any change in control of the city.

Baidoa online separately reported that Laftagareen-aligned forces took Qansax-Dheere after operations around the district. Citing local sources, it said some troops previously stationed there surrendered, while others withdrew into a camp operated by Ethiopian forces.

The takeover has therefore become both a military development and a political claim: Laftagareen’s supporters say they intend to restore local government under his authority, while their campaign challenges the administration operating from Baidoa.

Rival claims to legitimacy

The confrontation stems from the breakdown of relations between Laftagareen’s administration and Somalia’s federal government, alongside disagreements over elections, constitutional changes and the distribution of power between Mogadishu and regional authorities.

Federal forces entered Baidoa on March 30. Laftagareen subsequently announced his resignation, but his camp later continued to assert that he remained Southwest State’s legitimate president and rejected the political arrangements established after his departure.

Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur “Madobe” was elected Southwest State president by the regional assembly on June 13. rival candidates withdrew and challenged the credibility of the process.

The Madobe-led administration maintains that it is the governing authority in Baidoa. Laftagareen’s supporters dispute that claim and portray their military campaign as an effort to recover authority they say was taken through federal intervention.

The competing positions have left the leadership question unresolved between the factions. Claims of legitimacy remain assertions by the respective sides; territorial gains alone do not settle the dispute over who should govern the state.

Baidoa remains contested

Baidoa remains the central prize in the confrontation because it serves as Southwest State’s administrative seat. Federal and Madobe-aligned forces have held the city, but repeated attacks show that their control continues to face an armed challenge.

Those incidents distinguish a politically and militarily contested city from one whose administration has definitively changed hands.

The new troop movements place those efforts against the backdrop of a continuing campaign for district-level control.

For now, Qansax-Dheere’s reported capture marks the clearest recent territorial gain by Laftagareen’s supporters, while Diinsoor remains a potential next objective. The outcome would shape their campaign outside Baidoa without resolving the wider contest over Southwest State’s leadership.