By Aden Geesey - Reporter
MOGADISHU, 28 September 2026 Heavy fighting broke out in parts of Baidoa, the capital of Somalia’s southwestern Bay region, on Monday, with rival sides giving conflicting accounts of the assault and the situation on the ground.
Hassan Abdi Mohamed, a spokesman for forces loyal to former South West President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, said in a Facebook post that his forces had attacked positions held by troops loyal to the current South West administration.
The fighting began around dawn during morning prayers, according to local sources, with heavy gunfire and other weapons heard in parts of the city.
Mohamed Sheikh Abdullahi, known as Haayow, a spokesman for the South West administration, said al-Shabaab had launched an attack on Baidoa and that government and South West forces had repelled the assault.
The administration also said forces loyal to Laftagareen had taken part in the attack alongside al-Shabaab fighters.
Somalia’s national army said in a brief statement that forces loyal to Laftagareen and al-Shabaab militants had launched the assault together. The army said its forces had repelled the attack and remained in control of the city.
The army also said it had inflicted casualties on the attackers but gave no figures for those killed or wounded.
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RP Hotel, one of Baidoa’s hotels, was also damaged during the fighting. Preliminary reports indicated that a vehicle-borne explosive was used in an attack on the hotel, causing extensive damage.
There were also reports that hotel employees had been killed or wounded, but the number of casualties and details of the attack could not be independently verified.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the overall number of people killed or wounded in the fighting.
Somalia’s federal government and the South West administration have previously accused forces loyal to Laftagareen of having links to al-Shabaab. Laftagareen’s supporters and officials have denied those allegations.
The fighting in Baidoa comes amid a political dispute between Somalia’s federal government and the current South West administration on one side and the Laftagareen camp on the other, which has escalated into armed clashes in recent months.
The situation in Baidoa remained tense on Monday, with fighting reported in parts of the city. The extent of the casualties and control of all areas where clashes were reported remained unclear.