The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) has assured that commercial flights between Mogadishu and Baidoa in the country's South West State are operating without restrictions, dismissing reports to the contrary as political propaganda.
"That is propaganda against the [federal] government, flights are landing at Baidao normally, with no restrictions," the SCAA informed ch-aviation.
This follows newspaper reports on March 17 claiming that civilian flights were suspended to Baidoa, the administrative capital of the self-governing South West State, which, according to social media posts, on the same day formally severed all ties with the federal government, declaring it would no longer coordinate with Mogadishu on security, fiscal, or administrative matters. Disputes have arisen over constitutional amendments pushed through by the federal government, which some regional leaders oppose, Somalia's Hiraan online newspaper reported.
Jubba Airways (Kenya), which operates F50 services between Mogadishu and Baidoa, told ch-aviation that "commercial flights are going well" but that some flights carrying Somali members of parliament had been prevented from landing.
The tensions between the government in Mogadishu and the South West State administration in Baidoa reflect a struggle over constitutional change, electoral control, and balance of power in Somalia’s federal system, the Somali Guardian reports. South West State, along with Puntland and Jubaland, has rejected the amended constitution as unlawfully drafted and a threat to federalism, accusing Mogadishu of centralising power.
