Dozens wounded as government troops and militia clash near Baidoa
Fighting between Somali government forces and militia near Baidoa has wounded at least 24 people and killed one civilian.
Heavy fighting broke out early Thursday on the outskirts of Baidoa in southwestern Somalia, leaving at least two dozen people wounded and one civilian dead, according to a local hospital official.
The clashes began around 5 a.m. between Somali government forces and militia aligned with former South West state President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen. Somalia's Defence Ministry said its troops were responding to an attack on their positions by the militia and al-Shabab fighters.
Residents reported hearing sustained gunfire, with some saying stray bullets had struck residential areas. One Baidoa resident, Abdullahi Haji, said he fled his home fearing the violence would spread into his neighbourhood.
Dr. Abdikafi Omar Mohamud, head of the emergency department at Bay Regional Hospital, said the facility had received 24 people wounded in the fighting and one civilian who died.
The violence is the latest escalation in a dispute between the federal government and Laftagareen's camp over control of South West state. Federal forces took control of Baidoa on March 30, after which Laftagareen resigned. He had governed the state since 2018.
Baidoa, located about 245 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu, is a major humanitarian hub hosting large numbers of people displaced by conflict and drought. The situation remained fluid on Thursday, with no independently verified information on overall casualties or the full extent of the fighting.