Several regions in Somalia are resisting the concentration of power under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The president has, in turn, ordered forces into states where opposition parties rule. In March, governor Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen was ousted in a region in southwestern Somalia.
The Laftagareen have mobilized local forces in the fight for the region and the central town of Baidoa.
The Ministry of Defense in Mogadishu claims that “our forces have regained control of the city.”
The claim was denied by regime-critical fighters on Monday:
"Our forces are advancing in the city. Fighter jets are flying over the city, but they are not deterring us," said one fighter.
