Somalia federal troops and armed opposition clash in Baidoa city

On Monday, federal troops from Somalia's federal government and armed opposition groups engaged in intense combat within the city centre of Baidoa, a local resident and an army officer informed Reuters. Baidoa, the administrative capital of South West state, is the largest city in Somalia, with a population exceeding one million residents.

It also serves as a hub for international peacekeepers and humanitarian organizations. The ongoing clashes in Baidoa could exacerbate the region's dire humanitarian situation. The city currently houses hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, and according to a July survey conducted by Medecins Sans Frontieres, one in four children at displacement sites there suffers from severe malnutrition.

Militias loyal to the former Baidoa president launched an attack on the city from two directions, clashing with two battalions of federal military forces. Farah Nur, a local shopkeeper, relayed the situation to Reuters, stating that federal troops had been employing heavy weapons, and he had witnessed at least two civilians losing their lives to stray bullets. Several others sustained injuries, which were subsequently transported to nearby hospitals.

Nur further reported that federal forces were currently battling against the armed militias, capturing Baidoa, and urging these forces to lay down their arms. However, Hassan Mohamed, a spokesperson for Laftagareen's administration, announced via Facebook that their troops had indeed taken control of Baidoa, inviting federal forces to surrender.

This claim, though, could not be independently confirmed. According to Captain Osman Abdullahi, a Somalia federal military officer, the armed militias initiated the assault on Baidoa this morning, and they are currently pushing the opponents back. In the process, numerous casualties have occurred, as stray bullets have entered civilian residences.