High-ranking officials of the Somali Army have held an emergency cabinet meeting to address the new crisis unleashed in the Southwest state, the scene for weeks of clashes between government forces and guerrillas loyal to the former regional president, Hasan Mohamed Laftagareen.
The armed clashes even extended this past Saturday to the 'de facto' capital of the state, Baidoa, coinciding with the inauguration ceremony of the new deputies of the regional Parliament, in a territory where power struggles for leadership, the electoral process, and the weight of the federal government have led to an open armed conflict.
On March 30, units of the Somali federal Army took control of several key enclaves in the vicinity of Baidoa, after federal authorities announced that Laftagareen's mandate had concluded and that they would not recognize any new positions arising from this administration.
At the heart of the dispute is the rejection by the state's institutions, as is happening in other regions of the country, of the constitutional amendments promoted by President Hasan Sheij Mohamud.
The offensive launched on Saturday by Laftagareen's followers was finally contained by the 60th Division of the Somali Army. Its commanders met this Sunday in Baidoa to design a new security strategy for both the city and the rest of the state, according to the Somali news portal Hiraan.