On March 28, South West State (SWS) conducted regional elections in Somalia, which the Federal Government (FGS) deemed unlawful. Simultaneously, an FGS military convoy left Buurhakaba, with SWS forces setting up defensive positions about 40km from Baidoa and throughout the town, creating a very high risk of armed confrontation in Baidoa.
After clashes between SWS forces and opposition-aligned groups on March 19-20, more than 45,000 people left Baidoa. The displaced families primarily relocated to various areas in the Bay and Bakool regions, as well as to Mogadishu. Approximately 30% of these displaced individuals experienced secondary displacement after initially fleeing from displacement sites within Baidoa. Humanitarian agencies have documented instances of Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) among the affected population.
On March 18, SWS authorities suspended all commercial and private flights from SWS airports, though humanitarian operations were exempted. On March 29, an EU Humanitarian Flight operated by UNHAS successfully evacuated 18 humanitarian workers from Baidoa.
Humanitarian partners of DG ECHO continue operations and are coordinating contingency plans to deliver emergency assistance.
On March 29, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General/Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator called on all parties to fulfill their responsibilities to protect civilians and ensure safe, continuous, and unobstructed humanitarian access.