Heavy Fighting Erupts In Somalia’s Baidoa

Somali federal troops drove opposition fighters out of Baidoa on Monday after hours of heavy fighting that left several people dead, residents and the Defence Ministry said.

The clashes erupted before dawn when fighters loyal to former South West state president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen attacked federal positions in the city using vehicles loaded with explosive weapons, according to Somalia’s Defence Ministry.

The ministry said federal forces repelled the attack and killed about 30 attackers. Four residents told Reuters that government troops had pushed the opposition fighters out of the city and that they had seen bodies in the streets.

Local elder Farah Ibrahim said he saw 10 dead people, including four civilians and six soldiers from the opposing sides.

Residents described the fighting as the fiercest in Baidoa since March, when federal forces took control of the city after Laftagareen’s administration cut ties with the central government. Laftagareen subsequently resigned.

The latest violence comes as Somalia’s federal government faces growing disputes with state authorities over elections and constitutional changes, while continuing its fight against al-Shabaab militants.

Baidoa is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis. A July survey by Médecins Sans Frontières found that one in four children in displacement sites was severely malnourished, highlighting the wider impact of conflict and insecurity on the city’s population.

SOURCE: Reuters