The federal government of Somalia praised Baidoa’s transition, urging peace and unity amid political change and rising tensions.
Somalia’s national army has seized control of the southwestern state’s largest city, prompting the resignation of a regional leader two weeks after his administration said it was cutting ties with the federal government.
Baidoa, the largest strategic city in the southwestern state, is home to international peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies in a region affected by drought, conflict and displacement.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“I, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohammed Laftagarin, have resigned from the post of President of the South-West State, with effect from today, March 30, 2026,” Abdiaziz Hassan Mohammed Laftagarin said in a post on Facebook on Monday.
He was in this post for more than seven years. His resignation comes days after he was re-elected for another five-year term, an election the federal government said was illegal.
Earlier on Monday, Somalia’s federal forces entered Baidoa, about 245 km (150 miles) northwest of the country’s capital Mogadishu, taking full control of the city and marking the beginning of a political transition.
“Federal forces have captured Baidoa… It is quiet now… but it looks like a ghost town,” local elder Adan Hussein told Reuters news agency.
South-West’s transformation began when its Finance Minister, Ahmed Mohammed Hussein, was appointed acting President through a formal decree.
The central government in Mogadishu praised the state’s transition and urged peace and unity.
“The people of South West State have taken control of Baidoa, signaling a demand for accountability. The federal government of Somalia is committed to maintaining stability, protecting lives and property, and ensuring no persecution or reprisals,” Somali Information Minister Dawud Awais said in a statement.
Mogadishu also stressed that any acts of reprisal will not be tolerated, underscoring its commitment to protecting lives and property during “this sensitive” political transition.
Concern about fair elections
Many residents have fled Baidoa over the past week, and some aid agencies have suspended activities out of fear of clashes between the army and regional forces.
The dispute with the southwest is the latest sign of tensions in the Horn of Africa country’s fragile federal system, where disputes over elections and the balance of power between Mogadishu and regional administrations have repeatedly opened political fault lines.
Loftgreen’s administration opposed constitutional amendments supported by the federal government.
Somalia’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said in a message read on national television that “the former South-West State administration … created political conflict”. It said federal forces were welcomed in Baidoa on Monday.
Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from Nairobi, Kenya, said the dispute comes ahead of highly contentious national elections this year.
“Somalians were promised one person, one vote elections after decades of not exercising their rights, but there are many logistical and security challenges,” he said.
“The point of discussion right now is that voters elect MPs, who in turn vote for the president. And that’s where a lot of the problem comes in, because regional leaders and some opposition groups are worried that the president could rig the election,” Soi said.
He said amendments to the Constitution supported by the federal government have been “very unpopular”, and there is a lot of distrust between leaders.
