Baidoa (WDN) — The human cost of the latest fighting in Baidoa is becoming painfully clear inside the city’s hospitals, where dozens of wounded people are receiving treatment after heavy clashes erupted across the city and its outskirts on Thursday.

The fighting pitted forces loyal to the Federal Government of Somalia and its allies in South West State against militias loyal to former South West President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed (Laftagareen), according to local accounts.

The Bay Regional Hospital said it had received 71 wounded people since the fighting began. Among them were 15 women, while one civilian later died from injuries sustained during the violence. Behind those numbers are families facing fear, grief and uncertainty.

A City Shaken by Gunfire

The fighting began in the early hours of Thursday, with residents reporting the sound of intense gunfire and heavy weapons across parts of Baidoa The clashes brought fear and confusion to a city already burdened by years of conflict and displacement. Some residents fled their homes, while others remained trapped indoors as gunfire echoed through surrounding neighborhoods.

For families with loved ones caught in the violence, the hospital became a place of anguish as relatives waited anxiously for news about the condition of the wounded. Some relatives told local sources that several patients remained in serious condition and required medical treatment beyond what is readily available in Baidoa.

Doctors and families may ultimately have to consider transferring critically injured patients to Mogadishu, where more specialized surgical and medical services are available. Not everyone admitted to the hospital has required prolonged treatment. Some patients with minor injuries have been discharged after their conditions improved and have returned home. But for families of those who remain seriously injured, the ordeal is far from over.

The prospect of transferring a loved one to Mogadishu adds another burden to families already struggling with the consequences of conflict. In a city where humanitarian needs are immense, access to specialized medical care can itself become a matter of survival.

Reported: Bay Regional Hospital has directly confirmed the admission of 71 wounded people, including 15 women, and the death of one civilian from injuries sustained during the fighting. The overall number of casualties among the armed sides has not yet been independently established.

A Political Crisis Turning Violent

The latest clashes come after months of political and security tensions in Baidao involving the Federal Government and political forces aligned with Laftagareen.

Federal forces took control of the city in March after Laftagareen left office, but the political dispute has continued to cast a shadow over South West State. What began as a struggle over political authority has now brought armed confrontation into the streets of one of Somalia’s most important cities.

Baidoa is the administrative center of Bay region and a key political and security hub for South West State. It is also home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people who depend heavily on humanitarian assistance and already limited health services.

A Humanitarian Burden Growing Heavier

For a population already living with displacement, poverty and insecurity, renewed fighting carries consequences far beyond the battlefield. Every new casualty adds pressure to hospitals that operate with limited resources. Every family forced to flee another home faces another uncertain future. And every outbreak of violence threatens to disrupt humanitarian services that vulnerable communities depend upon.

The tragedy is particularly painful because those bearing the consequences are not necessarily the people making the political decisions that brought the confrontation to Baidoa. The latest violence is a reminder of how quickly Somalia’s political disputes can become human tragedies when they move from negotiations and institutions to armed confrontation.

The full toll of Thursday’s fighting remains unclear. But the 71 wounded people reported by Bay Regional Hospital—and the civilian death already confirmed—offer a sobering glimpse of the suffering unfolding behind the political struggle.

For the families waiting beside hospital beds in Baidoa, the political arguments are distant. What matters now is whether their loved ones survive, whether they can receive the treatment they need, and whether the guns will finally fall silent.

WardheerNews