Heavy clashes erupted in the periphery of Baidoa, the interim capital of Somalia's South West state, with regional forces apparently repelling federal government-aligned forces, Garowe Online reported on March 30. This comes after South West state President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen secured reelection through a vote of the state assembly on March 28, which the federal government rejected as illegitimate.

Escalating tensions in South West state come after the federal government passed constitutional reforms transitioning the country's voting system for the presidency from clan-based voting to indirect universal suffrage. The opposition Somali Future Council has rejected these reforms, claiming that Mohamud's term ends on April 14. Until recently, Laftagareen and Mohamud were close allies, with their rupture seemingly linked to Laftagareen's apparent shifting stance regarding the recent constitutional reforms. This prompted Laftagreen to exit the ruling Justice and Solidarity Party in mid-March, with other prominent figures like Abdirahman Odowaa, the party's secretary general, resigning on March 25.