Former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has called on Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to step down, Hiiraan Online reported. He also demanded that federal troops withdraw from the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions. He made the demands on Monday in an open letter to Somalis, opposition groups, international partners and political leaders.
Laftagareen accused Mohamud's government of using military force to impose its preferred political order in South West State. He said the dispute began over constitutional amendments and Somalia's electoral model. By his account, he had pushed for a regional election after his own mandate expired. However, he rejected what he called federal efforts to decide when South West State should vote. Mohamud then sent federal troops to Baidoa to remove his administration, he said.
The letter also claimed that al-Shabab and Turkish F-16 aircraft supported federal forces in operations against his administration. Laftagareen cited an alleged strike in Doolow targeting Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Adan, known as Mahad Shub. According to Hiiraan Online, the letter offered no independently verifiable evidence for these claims. Neither the Somali government nor Turkish authorities have publicly confirmed that Turkish F-16s were used against his forces.
Laftagareen accused the federal government of falsely portraying his Dervish forces as al-Shabab fighters to justify military action. He and his allies deny cooperating with the group. He also accused Mogadishu of intimidating journalists. He said it had circulated an artificially altered image linking one of his officials to an al-Shabab commander.
According to residents and local reports, his forces have seized Qansaxdheere, Buurhakaba and Berdaale this month. They have also entered several other areas in Bay region. The fighting has spread beyond Baidoa, where most of the confrontation had been centred. Baidoa has seen repeated heavy fighting since August. Laftagareen's Dervish units have battled federal troops backed by forces of the current South West administration.
On Tuesday, the Somali Journalists Syndicate reported that forces on different sides of the conflict had arrested, threatened and intimidated journalists in South West State. It said five journalists had fled the region since late August and eight others were in hiding. It also documented the detention of a Buurhakaba journalist by Laftagareen-aligned forces after they captured the town.
Laftagareen called for an immediate halt to military operations, an end to threats against civilians and journalists, and inclusive talks on the state's electoral process. The dispute adds to a wider national standoff over constitutional changes and the framework for federal elections. Security forces are also still fighting al-Shabab in southern and central Somalia.