Last July, the Federal Government of Somalia instigated the ouster of South West State regional president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen.
The government, through the electoral commission, called for regional assembly and presidential elections in the state as it pushed ahead with its policy on universal suffrage.
The hitherto tranquil region was thus thrust into the political limelight, pitting the Federal Government in Mogadishu and the regional state’s capital in Baidoa.
Laftagareen mobilised his military to resist the election and his eventual ouster, but he lost out and fled to Kenya as his forces were crushed by the Somali National Army. But his militia retreated on the outskirts of Baidoa and regrouped.
For a while it seemed peace and tranquillity had quietly returned to Baidoa, the regional headquarters of the South West State. The former speaker of the national parliament in Mogadishu settled down as the new regional president.
But two months down the line, Security Minister Osman Isaaq Mohamed has called on Kenya to arrest the former regional president and hand him over to Somali authorities, escalating tensions following renewed fighting in Baidoa.
Reason? The minister accused Laftagareen of instigating last week’s armed attacks and explosions in the South West State capital, saying Somali authorities want him returned to face accountability.
On Monday, August 17, 2026, there was heavy fighting in Baidoa when forces loyal to the former president attacked positions held by federal and South West State security forces.
Last week’s battle did not emerge from the blue. It is a result of a political feud that has simmered since March, when the move to oust Laftagareen was hatched by the politicians and bureaucrats of the federal government sitting in Mogadishu
Laftagareen’s administration had announced the severing of ties with the federal government that month, following a dispute over elections, constitutional changes, and the distribution of power between Mogadishu and the regional states. Federal forces then seized Baidoa on March 30, forcing the regional state president to resign the same day and flee to Kenya.
According to sources, this was Baidoa’s fiercest fighting since March. Fighters loyal to Laftagareen entered the city from two directions before dawn on August 17, and attacked positions held by federal forces, briefly dislodging the government forces.
The Laftagareen forces were, however, overwhelmed by government forces who subsequently regained the areas after several hours of fighting.
The ousted regional president later praised forces loyal to him, describing their actions as an operation intended to restore security and order and end what he called the illegal presence of forces in Baidoa.
Laftagareen’s spokesperson, Hassan Mohamed, claimed on Facebook that the former president’s forces had captured Baidoa’s city centre and called on federal troops to surrender.
This move by the former South West state president seems to have ostensibly triggered a flurry of events that have now looped in Kenya.
The Federal Government alleged that fighters loyal to Laftagareen carried out the attack on Baidoa alongside members of the terrorist group, Al-Shabaab. It further accused the two of using vehicles loaded with explosives.
Osman, the state’s security minister, while demanding the extradition of Laftagareen, claimed that the former president’s armed supporters have links to Al-Shabaab.
The allegations linking Laftagareen’s forces to Al-Shabaab have not been independently verified, and no court ruling has established the accusations against the former South West State president.
The latest confrontation is rooted in a months-long political dispute between Laftagareen and the Federal Government. His administration severed relations with Mogadishu in March amid disagreements over constitutional amendments and the electoral process.
Monday’s fighting marked the most significant attempt by pro-Laftagareen forces to enter Baidoa since the March political upheaval, once again turning the dispute between the former regional leader and the authorities into a direct armed confrontation.
The demand for the arrest and extradition of Laftagareen lands at a tense moment for Somalia’s federal system. Baidoa has become the flashpoint in a months-long power struggle between the federal government and the man who once ran South West State.
Last week’s battle for the city was the most serious armed confrontation since that dispute began. As a result, a political rift has hardened into open military conflict, with regional and diplomatic consequences that reach well beyond one city.
So far, Mogadishu has not made any demands in so far as Laftagreen’s extradition goes. Will Kenya accede to the demands of the security minister for the South West State?
Meanwhile, the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) ramped up its efforts in drawing down its presence in Somalia by officially concluding its direct support programme for Somalia’s justice institutions and prison services.
A ceremony marking the end of the programme was held on Tuesday in Mogadishu and attended by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Hassan Moalim Mohamud, federal and state officials, representatives from the United Nations and UNTMIS, judicial and correctional institutions, and international partners.
The minister thanked the United Nations, UNTMIS and international partners for supporting Somalia’s judicial institutions and correctional services through training, capacity-building and efforts to strengthen the rule of law.
He said the knowledge, expertise and institutional capacity built during the 13 years of continuous UN rule-of-law assistance support would provide an important foundation for further development of Somalia’s justice system and prison services.
The federal government said it would continue developing justice and correctional institutions, with a focus on ensuring that national institutions fully assume responsibility for those services.
Officials at the meeting also emphasised the importance of continued cooperation and coordination between the Somali government and international partners to support the ongoing development of the justice system and prison services.
The milestone marks the end of 13 years of UN rule-of-law assistance through UNTMIS and its predecessor mission, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia.
