Addis Ababa: Renewed and intensified fighting between South West State militants and Somali federal forces near Baidoa since Sept. 3 has placed additional pressure on the city’s already overstretched health services, according to MSF.
MSF East Africa said the South West State team at Bay Regional Hospital, working with MSF staff, has treated 71 people wounded in the recent fighting, including 15 women and 21 children.
The medical organization said the continued arrival of wounded people is placing further strain on the hospital, which was already operating beyond its capacity.
Fresh fighting has recently been reported between forces aligned with South West State former President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, known as Laftagareen, and Somalia’s federal government. The confrontation has deepened tensions between the federal government and South West State authorities.
Various sources have also reported that Turkish forces have carried out multiple airstrikes in the area. The alleged involvement of Turkish forces has triggered public criticism and renewed concerns over foreign intervention in Somalia’s internal affairs.
The latest clashes come amid a broader political dispute between the federal government and South West State over governance and the country’s political transition.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration has also faced a constitutional and political dispute over the extension of its mandate, with the federal government extending the current political arrangement by one year.
