Federal Troops Repel Opposition Assault on Baidoa

In the early hours of August 17, 2026, Somali federal forces engaged armed fighters loyal to former South West State president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen in Baidoa’s city centre. The Defence Ministry reported that the attackers arrived in vehicles laden with explosives and were driven out after federal troops killed about 30 of them. Residents and Reuters-verified videos showed armed soldiers firing from an armoured vehicle and civilians being carried on stretchers through the streets. Local elder Farah Ibrahim told Reuters he saw ten dead bodies, including four civilians and six combatants.

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Laftagareen led South West State for more than seven years before severing ties with Mogadishu in March 2024 over constitutional amendments that extended President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term and altered the 2012 power-sharing arrangement. The federal army seized Baidoa that same month, prompting Laftagareen’s resignation. His supporters have repeatedly attempted to retake the city, including a failed May offensive and the August assault.

Al Jazeera (website)

Baidoa, located roughly 245 km northwest of Mogadishu, hosts over a million residents, many of whom are internally displaced. A July survey by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) found that one-in-four children in displacement sites are severely malnourished. Doctors Without Borders confirmed that several casualties were brought to its hospital after the fighting, and residents reported stray-bullet injuries to civilians during the clash.

The Jerusalem Post

The Defence Ministry asserted that Laftagareen’s forces fought alongside the al-Shabaab militant group. Laftagareen’s spokesperson, Hassan Mohamed, posted on Facebook that his troops had captured Baidoa and urged federal forces to surrender, a claim that could not be independently verified. Federal officers, speaking to Reuters, said heavy weapons were used and that the operation restored control of the city.

The Straits Times

“Militias loyal to the former Baidoa president entered Baidoa from two sides, challenging two battalions of federal military. Fighting has intensified now,” — Farah Nur

The Jerusalem Post