Somali army clashes with local forces for control of Baidoa

The latest outbreak of fighting in the South West State city stranded civilians unable to flee or reach hospitals.

Security personnel patrol a street in Baidoa, Somalia [File: Bishar Mayow Mukhtar/AP Photo]

Intense clashes have broken out in the Somali city of Baidoa between government forces and fighters loyal to the ousted regional president.

Fighter jets and drones were reported as the hostilities flared on Monday in the South West State city after thousands of local fighters entered the city in the morning. Violence has plagued the city in recent weeks as the army seeks to maintain the control it wrested earlier this year.

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“The national army confronted them, inflicted heavy casualties and drove them out of the city,” senior army commander Mohamed Ali said, according to the AFP news agency. He added that the local fighters had vehicles loaded with explosives and explosive drones.

A number of states in Somalia oppose President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. His government sent troops to oust the head of South West State, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen in March. Laftagareen has repeatedly attempted to retake the area, including the administrative capital of Baidoa.

In a statement , Laftagareen congratulated fighters for the operation, saying that the aim was to “maintain security [and] restore stability and diversity” in Baidoa.

The medical NGO Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said three people had died including a healthcare worker.

“There were heavy clashes all day in the city,” local resident Hussein Abdifatah told AFP. “Most of the civilians have difficulties fleeing because both sides are fighting everywhere.”

Medical teams working with the Ministry of Health at Baidoa’s Bay Regional Hospital said they had received 69 patients affected by the violence, including five children.

Roads leading to hospitals in Baidoa were blocked, and MSF said it is concerned that many wounded people are unable to access treatment.

“This is the third time in six weeks that fighting has erupted in Baidoa, with devastating consequences for civilians,” Dr Elshafie Mohammed, MSF’s Somalia representative, said. “It is unacceptable that civilians and healthcare are being caught up in violence.”

A health facility was also reportedly severely damaged and an ambulance looted, the aid agency said. Two medical staff working with its teams were robbed and one was injured.

Fighting erupted in Baidoa on August 17, when Bay Regional Hospital reported four deaths and 94 people wounded, and again on September 3 , when 71 people were treated for injuries and one death was recorded.

西南州某城市最新爆发的冲突导致平民被困，无法逃离或前往医院。

安全人员在索马里拜多阿的街道上巡逻[文件：Bishar Mayow Mukhtar/美联社照片]

索马里城市拜多阿爆发了政府军与效忠于被罢黜的地区总统的武装人员之间的激烈冲突。

周一，数千名当地武装人员涌入西南州首府阿布哈兹市，随后冲突升级，据报道，战斗机和无人机参与了交火。近几周来，暴力事件一直困扰着这座城市，军方试图维持其今年早些时候夺取的控制权。

阿尔及利亚与阿联酋断绝外交关系（共3条，此为第1条）：我们目前了解的情况

问题 2（共 3 题）：埃及会为帮助沙特阿拉伯确保红海安全做到什么程度？

也门政府军声称控制了塔伊兹省的卡尔凡山，这是3条记录中的第3条。

据法新社报道，陆军高级指挥官穆罕默德·阿里表示：“国民军与他们交战，造成他们重大伤亡，并将他们赶出了这座城市。”他还补充说，当地武装分子拥有装满炸药的车辆和爆炸无人机。

索马里多个州反对总统哈桑·谢赫·马哈茂德。今年3月，他的政府派兵推翻了西南州州长阿卜杜勒阿齐兹·哈桑·穆罕默德·拉夫塔加林。拉夫塔加林曾多次试图夺回该地区，包括行政首府拜多阿。

拉夫塔加林在一份声明中祝贺战士们的行动，称其目的是“维护安全，恢复拜多阿的稳定和多样性”。

医疗非政府组织“无国界医生”（法语缩写为MSF）表示，包括一名医护人员在内的三人死亡。

当地居民侯赛因·阿卜迪法塔赫告诉法新社：“城里一整天都爆发了激烈的冲突。由于双方到处都在交火，大多数平民很难逃离。”

与卫生部合作在拜多阿湾地区医院工作的医疗团队表示，他们已接收了 69 名受暴力事件影响的患者，其中包括 5 名儿童。

通往拜多阿各医院的道路被封锁，无国界医生组织表示，他们担心许多伤者无法获得治疗。

无国界医生组织索马里代表埃尔沙菲·穆罕默德医生表示：“这是六周内拜多阿爆发的第三次冲突，给平民造成了毁灭性后果。平民和医疗卫生人员被卷入暴力冲突是不可接受的。”

据援助机构称，一家医疗机构也遭到严重破坏，一辆救护车被洗劫一空。该机构的两名医务人员遭到抢劫，其中一人受伤。

8 月 17 日，拜多阿爆发战斗，拜多阿地区医院报告称有 4 人死亡，94 人受伤；9 月 3 日，拜多阿再次爆发战斗，71 人因伤接受治疗，并记录到 1 人死亡。