BAIDOA — Tensions continue to escalate in Baidoa following allegations from a former regional security official who claims that two civilians belonging to the clan of ousted South West State leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed (Laftagareen) were killed in a reprisal attack.
Unverified Allegations of Violence
According to an interview broadcast by Gaylan Media, Mahad Abdirahman, the recently dismissed chief of the regional Custodial Corps, alleged that the two civilians were killed and their bodies subsequently burned inside the Baidoa home of Somalia’s Parliament Speaker, Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe. Abdirahman claimed the charred remains were still at the doorstep during his interview, though he did not provide the evidence he claimed to possess. These severe allegations currently remain independently unverified.
Abdirahman characterized the alleged incident as a direct reprisal attack stemming from the federal government’s controversial takeover of Baidoa last week, which resulted in Laftagareen’s abrupt removal from power and the installation of an interim leader.
Regional Forces Adopt Defensive Posture
Abdirahman, who was officially dismissed from his command just days before federal forces advanced on the regional capital, also addressed the lack of armed resistance from regional troops. Despite years of tactical training, he explained that local forces chose a strategy of survival rather than direct confrontation, noting they were vastly outgunned by a larger federal contingent backed by military aircraft and heavy armored vehicles.
Addressing the status of roughly 2,000 former regional fighters who remain loyal to Laftagareen and are currently stationed in nearby Awdinle, Abdirahman confirmed the faction remains in a strict defensive posture. He stated they have no intention of attacking Baidoa but are fully prepared to defend themselves if federal forces attempt a similar offensive in their territory.
Federal Consolidation and Mounting Pushback
These severe allegations and ongoing security standoffs occur while Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud remains stationed in Baidoa alongside cabinet ministers and key federal officials to direct the region’s fragile political transition. Some of the accompanying officials are widely viewed as potential contenders to permanently fill the leadership vacuum in the upcoming regional elections.
The President’s high-level intervention arrives at a highly critical time, with only one month remaining in the current regional constitutional term. However, the federal mandate is facing intense scrutiny. Abdirahman openly accused federal authorities of acting against the region’s interests, pointing to widespread looting and civil unrest that immediately followed the federal takeover—a sentiment echoed by other opposition groups and federal lawmakers who have condemned the administration’s actions as an illegal dismantling of regional governance.
