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.

The post Baidoa Clashes: At Least 6 Killed After Laftagareen Forces Briefly Seize Central Baidoa appeared first on Kaab TV.

Speaking at a mosque inside the presidential palace on Friday, Laftagareen said the violence has ended following the defeat of the militiamen by state security forces.

“No one should be allowed to violate the peace, development, and governance of Southwest State. What happened was something we have been expecting for a long time, and civilians should not be harmed,” he said.

He added that no further action will be taken against those who incited the violence, describing the incident as unfortunate but justified, noting, “We were begging them for a year to reach a solution.”

Calm returned to Baidoa on Friday.

More update on Kaab TV

The post Southwest State President Confirms End of Baidoa Violence, 15 Killed appeared first on Kaab TV.

At least 15 people were killed in the two-day clashes between South West State security forces and militia groups loyal to local politicians.

The fighting erupted on Wednesday after a militia led by an officer identified as Abdirahman Niishow—formerly a member of the Somali National Army and reportedly linked to the Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Aden Mohamed Nur (Aden Madoobe)—attacked South West State forces stationed at a site earmarked for the construction of a new Ministry of Livestock building.

The construction project is part of a World Bank–funded development initiative, according to official sources of the Southwest State.

The land designated for the construction is claimed by an arms trafficker known as Macalin Cabdow, and fighting broke out almost immediately.

According to the South West State Minister of Information, Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, the clashes on the first day lasted for most of the day.

“Our forces fought against criminal gangs who were looting civilians,” the minister said in a statement issued on the first day of the fighting.

However, journalists reported that the conflict intensified on the second day, Thursday, after militias loyal to the Federal Government’s Minister of Livestock, Hassan Mohamed Hussein, commonly known as Hassan Eelaay, joined the fighting.

By Thursday evening, South West State forces succeeded in driving the militias out of the city.

At least five bodies were seen inside a house used by the militias and owned by the Federal Minister of Livestock, located in central Baidoa.

Casualties

At least 15 people are confirmed dead, including combatants and civilians.

Baidoa district authorities and officials who visited the city’s two hospitals—the Bay Regional Hospital and Heegan Hospital—reported that around 10 civilians, including children, were injured by stray bullets.

The South West State Minister of Security, Mohamed Abduqadir, told the media late Thursday that security had been fully restored and that the fighting groups had been expelled from the city.

“We warned them before, including a federal minister, that what they are doing will not earn them political office,” the minister said.

No statement has been issued by the Office of the Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Aden Madoobe, who has been accused of involvement in the Baidoa fighting.

However, the Federal Minister of Livestock, Hassan Eelaay, released a brief statement accusing the South West State authorities of attacking his house in Baidoa.

Members of the Federal Parliament based in Mogadishu have also commented on the clashes, though they remain divided in their views over the incident.

The fighting in Baidoa comes as President Abdiaziz Laftagareen faces mounting pressure over delayed elections, with his term in office having ended in December 2022. Opposition politicians, backed by the federal government in Mogadishu, have been calling for the regional election to be held as soon as possible.

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