Reports from the Bay region indicate that political tensions have escalated due to the deployment of additional troops to the Buurhakaba district. According to reports, over 300 soldiers were airlifted from Hudur, the provincial capital of the Bakool region, to join forces with the Southwest State liberation group based in Buurhakaba. This has led to an expansion of the opposition group’s presence in the region, further exacerbating the already tense relationship between the Somali Federal Government and the Southwest State authority. In response to this, a high-level delegation of lawmakers from the Somali Federal Government arrived in Hudur on Sunday to hold meetings with various community groups. They strongly oppose the administration led by President Abdiasis Laftagaren. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Somali Federal Government deployed hundreds of Turkish-trained soldiers-Haramacad in the port city of Barawe in the Lower Shabelle region. This is the administrative seat of the Southwest State, although the government is officially based in Baidoa. The Somali Federal Government has also ordered the Army Chief, General Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud, to deploy 1,100 soldiers from the Somali National Army (SNA) to Southwest State regions in order to reinforce the liberation forces. However, it is believed that the government’s main focus is to maintain control over Barawe and secure the routes connecting it to Buurhakaba in the Bay region. This area is considered a stronghold of opposition groups against President Laftagaren.
