Somali president orders troops as rebel forces contest control of Baidoa
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has dispatched forces to regions where opposition groups hold sway, while rebels claim they are still advancing in Baidoa despite government statements of recapture.
Several Somali regions are pushing back against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s concentration of power. In response, the president ordered military units into areas controlled by opposition forces. After the March removal of Governor Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, his loyalists have continued fighting over the southwestern region and the town of Baidoa. The Defense Ministry in Mogadishu announced that its troops have retaken the city, but rebel fighters disputed the claim, saying they are moving forward and that combat aircraft are flying overhead without stopping their advance.
Why it matters
The fighting underscores rising instability in Somalia and the risk of broader regional conflict.
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