Baidoa

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Baidoa's location in Somalia

Baidoa (Somali: Baydhabo) is a city in south-central Somalia, situated 256 kilometers (159 miles) by road northwest of the capital Mogadishu. It is the capital of the Bay Region, which is historically inhabited by the Digil and Mirifle clans. Other Somali clans who have large presense in Bay Region include Sade and Dir.

Baidoa city consists of four disctricts: Isha, Horseed, Berdaale and Howlwadaag. It also has the name of the district in which this city resides. Baidoa is the third largest city of Somalia, the fourth most important after Kismayo. It is currently the provisional capital of Somalia.

[edit] History

Various factions of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) struggle for control of the city. On 30 May 2005 forces loyal to Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigudud, former RRA chairman, and Shaykh Adan Madobe, former first secretary, attacked the town, which is controlled by the forces of Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade. This had followed months of building tensions as the various militia factions built up their arsenals. In the immediate aftermath of the fighting, both the Shatigudud/Madobe and Habsade militias were seen to be preparing for further clashes. The fighting was seen as another sign of a faltering transition.

The Transitional Federal Government, of which Shatigudud and Madobe are ministers, wishes to move a joint national capital from Mogadishu to Baidoa and Jowhar. President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed has little support in Mogadishu and wishes to avoid the influence of the capital's powerful warlords. Habsade, who is aligned with the warlords of Mogadishu and sees President Yusuf as a pawn of Ethiopia, wishes to keep the capital from moving. The Transitional Government was able to convene a parliamentary sittings of 275 members in Baidoa in February, 2006, inside a grain warehouse that had been temporarily converted. Despite the symbolic importance of the occasion, there have been no additional moves to establish government bodies or agencies in the city, beyond simply maintaining a militia presence there.

Following the victory of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in the Second Battle of Mogadishu, which ended 6 June 2006 when the warlords' troops in Mogadishu were driven from that town -- most fled to Jowhar - many of Baidoa's residents fear that the ICU, which became the most powerful faction in Somalia, will attempt to take control of this town too. However, the recent alleged deployment of 500 troops from Ethiopia to Baidoa may stymie the ICU's ambitions for the city, as it is unlikely that the ICU would be able to prevail against regular forces in the open, desert topography of the city. There are fears that this intervention may escalate if Ethiopia's traditional rival, Eritrea intervenes in turn on behalf of the ICU, although this is considered improbable.

On July 20, 2006 it was reported by the BBC [1] that a column of 100 Ethiopian military vehicles including armoured personnel carriers have crossed from the border town of Dolo Oda into Somalia. This follows reports of ICU forces advancing to within 60 km of Baidoa. Further reports stated that Ethiopian troops had been seen in uniform on the streets of the town. However, the Ethiopian government denies its forces have entered Somalia.

On September 26, according to Stratfor [2], "Uganda flew a planeload of troops [...] to Baidoa, the seat of Somalia's interim government, aiming to keep Somalia's Islamists from becoming a force to support Islamist insurgents throughout the region."

On November 24, the Associated Press [3] reported that hundreds of Ethiopian troops had arrived in Baidoa to protect Somalia's government against the Conservative Council of Islamic Courts (a new name adopted by the ICU in June [4]). The troops proceeded on to Baidoa in a convoy of more than 130 trucks.

On December 24, Baidoa was reported to be one of several targets of Ethiopian airstrikes. [5]