Intense fighting broke out in Baidoa, the capital of Somalia’s South West State, on Monday 28 September 2026 between federal forces and fighters loyal to the state’s former president, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, amid reports that fighter jets and drones were used during the clashes.
Attack expands across Baidoa neighbourhoods
Local authorities said the attack began in the early morning, estimating that between 2,000 and 3,000 fighters took part. Laftagareen’s forces attacked federal positions from several directions, spreading the clashes to a number of neighbourhoods across the city.
A Baidoa resident, Hussein Abdulfatah, said the intense clashes continued for hours, while civilians struggled to leave combat zones because of the fighting and explosions in different parts of the city. He said he was unable to identify the sources of the shelling or those who carried it out.
Somali army says it has retaken the city
Somali army commander Mohamed Ali said the attackers entered the city from several directions, using vehicles loaded with explosives and attack drones. He added that the army confronted the attacking forces and inflicted casualties before driving them out of Baidoa. Somalia’s Defence Ministry said the armed forces had thwarted the attack and regained full control of the city, adding that troops were continuing to pursue the retreating fighters.
It said the attack began with explosions intended to spread panic before the ground fighting broke out. The Somali government accused Laftagareen’s forces of carrying out the attack in co-operation with al-Shabaab fighters, saying the two forces moved together during the operation. The authorities did not provide an initial figure for the casualties caused by the fighting.
Loyalist forces deny links to al-Shabaab
A spokesperson for the forces loyal to Laftagareen, however, denied any links to al-Shabaab, saying that, according to his account, the clashes were limited to his forces and the federal troops deployed in Baidoa. The spokesperson accused Türkiye of supporting government forces with F-16 fighter jets, an allegation that has not been independently verified.
Residents said fighter jets carried out missile strikes on the outskirts of Baidoa during the clashes. A member of the presidential palace guard belonging to the regional administration backed by the federal government also said that suicide drones targeted their forces, causing injuries among them.
Relative calm had returned to the city by mid-afternoon after hours of fighting, while the full toll of casualties and damage remained unclear. The intensity and spread of the clashes left a number of residents confined to their homes, while some were unable to reach medical facilities. The fighting stems from a political and security dispute over the administration of Somalia’s South West State.
In March 2026, federal forces entered Baidoa and ousted Laftagareen’s administration. He had led the state since 2018 before announcing his resignation after government forces took control of the city. Since then, forces loyal to Laftagareen have made repeated attempts to retake Baidoa and other areas of the state.
The city saw rounds of fighting in May and August, then came under a fresh attack on 3 September, which the Somali government said it had managed to repel. The dispute comes amid disagreements between the federal government and several states over political and electoral reforms led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Laftagareen was one of the leading opponents of efforts to replace the system of selecting officials through clan elders with direct elections, while Mohamud faced criticism after extending his term by a year as part of the electoral reform process.
