The Federal Government of Somalia has deployed additional Gorgor special forces to Baidoa following recent clashes and heightened security tensions in parts of Southwest State.
The deployment reportedly involves up to 70 Gorgor soldiers from the 5th and 17th units.
The troops were transported from Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu on a chartered aircraft following a request from Southwest State parliamentary speaker Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe, according to local sources.
Sources familiar with the movement also reported that three Kamaz trucks were seen inside the Afisyone section of Aden Adde Airport at around 11:30 p.m.
The vehicles were reportedly carrying weapons and ammunition, including DShK heavy machine guns, PKM machine guns and AK-47 rifles. The equipment was allegedly being prepared for transport to Baidoa.
The reported deployment comes a day after fighting erupted in Baidoa between federal government forces, Southwest State forces and fighters aligned with former Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, who are based on the outskirts of the city.
The clashes added to existing tensions between the federal government and Laftagareen’s political and military camp, with the situation in Baidoa remaining volatile following the latest confrontation.
Some local media reports, citing sources familiar with the situation, claim that federal and Southwest State authorities have agreed to launch a direct military operation against forces loyal to Laftagareen in the coming weeks.
The reported objective would be to prevent further attacks following a series of confrontations, including the latest fighting in Baidoa.
Those reports also claimed that nearly 60 people were killed in the latest clashes. However, the casualty figure has not been independently verified, and competing sides have provided differing accounts of the fighting.
The reported movement of additional troops and military equipment to Baidoa could further raise tensions in the city, where civilians have already been affected by the recent violence and disruptions to movement.
Baidoa is the administrative capital of Southwest State and remains a strategically important political and security center in southern Somalia.
Any further military escalation could have wider implications for the region’s security and for efforts to resolve the political dispute between the federal government and opposing Southwest State factions.