MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – Forces loyal to the ousted president of Somalia’s South West State entered Baidoa, the regional capital, on Saturday morning following an early dawn assault that triggered heavy fighting inside the city.
At least six people have been confirmed killed in the clashes so far, with several others reported injured.
Baay regional police commander Sidiiq Doodishe told reporters that forces aligned with Abdulaziz Laftagareen launched the attack at dawn from positions on the outskirts of the city.
“Calm has now returned. The only issue is that bodies are still lying on the streets and we are trying to figure out how to recover them,” Doodishe said.
“They intended to enter the city and create chaos, but the South West State forces stopped them,” he added.
On the other side, spokesperson for the former South West State administration, Ugaas Hassan Abdi, who is aligned with Laftagareen, said their forces carried out an operation inside Baidoa.
#BAIDOA: This is the Afar Irdoodka area in the centre of the Baidoa city after the pro @Laftagareen forces entered the city this morning following a fierce gun battle that left at least 6 dead. #SomaliaConflict pic.twitter.com/Y772xeJ7fd
— Kaab TV (@KaabTV) May 30, 2026
Residents in Baidoa told Kaab TV that Laftagareen-aligned forces entered the city from several directions at dawn, leading to intense fighting in the city centre.
Eyewitnesses also reported that local militias inside the city joined the clashes, according to residents who spoke to Kaab TV.
Heavy gunfire and technical-mounted weapons were used by both sides. By around midday, Laftagareen’s forces had briefly seized Afar Irdood junction, a key intersection in central Baidoa that connects major routes within the city, before later withdrawing.
Journalists in Baidoa reported that the fighting disrupted security around the presidential palace and the airport, forcing civilians to remain indoors throughout the clashes.
Tensions remain high despite the cessation of gunfire, with fears of renewed fighting between the two sides.
In recent days, both sides have exchanged sharp warnings. The former administration aligned with Laftagareen has rejected an election reportedly being organized in Baidoa by the Federal Government in Mogadishu.
Laftagareen’s administration was previously forced out of Baidoa in March this year after heavily armed federal government forces, supported by allied militia groups, took control of the city. The administration later fled to Nairobi, Kenya.
Earlier this month, clashes reportedly triggered by Laftagareen-aligned forces resulted in the killing of senior officers from pro-federal government forces stationed in Baidoa.