By Shire Abdi - Reporter
Baidoa (Dawan Africa) — Forces loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Mohamed ‘Laftagareen’ launched an early morning attack on Baidoa city, reportedly seizing control of some neighbourhoods for a brief period.
Local reports say the forces later withdrew from the areas they had entered and returned to their previous positions outside Baidoa.
No casualties have so far been officially reported from the fighting that took place in the city this morning.
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Baidoa was expected to host the swearing-in of the new lawmakers of South West State, who were recently elected through a one-person, one-vote election held across 13 districts in the state. The South West electoral commission has not yet issued a statement on whether the fighting has affected the swearing-in schedule.
Laftagareen lost control of the federal member state on March 30, 2026, before leaving for Nairobi, Kenya. Since then, the government has launched a one-person, one-vote electoral process across 13 districts.
Hassan Abdi Mohamed, who served as spokesperson for Laftagareen’s administration, said in a Facebook post that the forces behind the attack had taken control of Baidoa earlier this morning.
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