Intense clashes broke out in Baidoa on Monday between Somali government forces and fighters loyal to Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, the ousted president of South West State, after thousands of local fighters entered the city.

Fighter jets and drones were reported as the fighting escalated, although the operators were not identified. The clashes disrupted movement across Baidoa, with civilians facing difficulty leaving the city and reaching hospitals.

Civilians trapped as roads to hospitals close

Local resident Hussein Abdifatah told AFP that fighting continued throughout the day. “Most of the civilians have difficulties fleeing because both sides are fighting everywhere,” he said.

Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, said roads leading to hospitals were blocked, preventing many wounded people from accessing treatment. The organisation also reported that a health facility was severely damaged and that an ambulance was looted.

MSF said two medical staff working with its teams were robbed during the violence, and that one of them was injured.

Medical teams working with Somalia’s Ministry of Health at Bay Regional Hospital received 69 patients affected by the violence, including five children. MSF separately reported that three people had died, including a healthcare worker. The available reports do not provide a complete casualty count for the clashes.

Dr Elshafie Mohammed, MSF’s representative in Somalia, said the latest violence was the third outbreak of fighting in Baidoa within six weeks.

“This is the third time in six weeks that fighting has erupted in Baidoa, with devastating consequences for civilians,” Mohammed said. “It is unacceptable that civilians and healthcare are being caught up in violence.”

Competing claims over control of Baidoa

Senior army commander Mohamed Ali said, according to AFP, that the national army confronted the local fighters, inflicted heavy casualties and forced them out of the city. He also claimed that the fighters had vehicles carrying explosives and explosive drones.

The source material does not independently verify the army’s account.

Laftagareen congratulated fighters for what he described as an operation intended to “maintain security [and] restore stability and diversity.” His forces have repeatedly sought to retake Baidoa and other areas after Somalia’s government sent troops in March to remove him from office.

The latest clashes follow earlier fighting in Baidoa on August 17 and September 3. Bay Regional Hospital reported four deaths and 94 wounded people from the August 17 violence. During the September 3 fighting, 71 people were treated for injuries and one death was recorded.

The renewed conflict comes as Somalia’s national army seeks to retain control in an area it wrested from Laftagareen’s administration earlier in the year. Several Somali states oppose President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, adding to political tensions surrounding the contest for control of South West State.