Clashes in Baidoa Leave Several Dead as Troops Battle Ousted Leader’s Loyalists

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Baidoa: Several persons were killed on Saturday in the southern city of Baidoa during clashes between Somali government troops and fighters loyal to an overthrown regional leader, according to eyewitness and security sources.

After the army removed regional president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen in March, conflict broke out in the South West State capital. According to security officials, armed groups attacked the city "to create instability and disorder," but government forces drove them out, bringing peace back after short but violent exchanges.

Order had been re-established, according to Baidoa police chief Sadiq Dudishe, while military commander Hussein Ali reported that troops had found roughly six of the assailants' bodies and described them as ‘young men misled and exploited by politicians.’

A local resident told AFP that he witnessed the bodies of four fighters and two civilians killed by stray gunshots. He further stated that Laftagareen loyalists temporarily took control of areas of the city before withdrawing.

Authorities said that the attack occurred as freshly elected members of the South West State legislature were about to be sworn in following the May 10 elections.

The violence coincides with broader political difficulties in Somalia, including disagreements over constitutional revisions passed in March that lengthen the presidential term and institute universal suffrage in place of the indirect clan-based system.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term ended on May 15 without an agreement on elections, and the government now describe the nation as being in a ‘transition period.’ As a result, the situation takes place amid a time of national uncertainty.

Al-Shabaab's security risks and political instability have impeded Somalia's progress toward having national democratic elections.