UK Urges Restraint as Renewed Baidoa Fighting Raises Humanitarian Concerns

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: The United Kingdom has called for restraint and dialogue after renewed fighting in Baidoa, warning that further violence could deepen an already fragile humanitarian situation in Somalia’s South West State.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the British Embassy in Mogadishu said it was concerned about the impact of the latest fighting on civilians and urged all parties to de-escalate tensions and resolve their differences through dialogue.

The renewed clashes in Baidoa come as the region faces additional humanitarian pressures, with communities also preparing for potential weather-related shocks associated with El Niño conditions in the coming weeks.

The warning follows fighting that erupted in Baidoa on Monday between federal forces and fighters loyal to former South West State president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, according to reports.

Médecins Sans Frontières said the latest clashes had killed three people and injured 69 others, while a health facility was severely damaged and access to medical care was disrupted.

The British government said further violence risked worsening humanitarian conditions in South West State, where communities are already vulnerable to climate-related shocks.

It also urged the parties to exercise restraint and pursue dialogue, without taking a position on the competing political claims underlying the confrontation.

The statement comes amid a wider period of political and security tension in Baidoa, where fighting has erupted repeatedly in recent months. Reports of earlier clashes in September also documented civilian casualties, including the death of a local journalist.