Renewed Clashes in Baidoa Displace Over 5,600 Civilians, Cause Casualties

On 28 September 2026, armed clashes erupted in Baidoa between forces linked to the former Southwest State administration and the Somali National Army, continuing through 3 October. The fighting, accompanied by airstrikes, resulted in 11 deaths and 86 injuries at Bay Regional and Bayhaw Hospitals, and damaged key community structures including Southwest University, RP Hotel, mosques, and several schools. More than 5,600 people—primarily women and children—were forced to flee their homes and displacement sites, seeking refuge within Baidoa or in nearby towns such as Diinsoor, Qansaxdhere, and Burhakaba. The conflict disrupted electricity, communications, and essential services, hampering access to shelter, healthcare, and education, and raising concerns that further clashes could deepen insecurity and displacement in the Bay Region.