At least ten people from both sides were killed in a clash between federal military forces and Southwest Dervishes in the Elbarde district of the Bakool region on Wednesday afternoon.
According to residents, both sides employed heavy weapons, resulting in casualties among the two armies engaged in the battle.
The fight follows a previous skirmish between the rival security forces in Barawe, the administrative capital of the regional state, on Monday, which claimed the lives of over ten individuals.
Federal lawmakers elected from the South West have condemned Monday’s clash in Barawe and have accused Abdirahman Elmi Jim’ale, the commander of the Somali military army in Barawe, of being responsible for the confrontation. They have emphasized that the commander opposes the existence of the South West regional state.
Neither the federal government nor the South West state has commented on the recent clash between the rival army groups.
However, both sides have accused each other of initiating the fight, while HOL has not independently confirmed these allegations.
