Somalia: Amisom Troops Commit Brutal Gang Rape in Mogadishu, Somalia
15 August 2013
Press release
On the 8th August 2013, a 20 year old Somali woman was kidnapped close to
her village in Yaqshid district, Mogadishu and brutally raped by AMISOM
forces. The woman in question was initially approached by a group of five
armed personnel, four men and one woman, in Somali government uniforms who
claimed that she was being arrested for suspected involvement in terrorist
activities.
She was informed she was being taken to the police station for
investigation; instead she was taken directly to Maslah Military Camp which
houses AMISOM troops in Hurwaa District. She was drugged and then raped by a
number of men, understood to be members of the AMISOM forces. It is believed
that the Somali's who initially arrested her did not participate in the rape
itself, but served as intermediaries to bring her to the AMISOM troops. She
was finally released on the 10th August after having been kept inside the
barracks for nearly 2 days.
The <
http://swdcsom.org/> Somali Women's Development Centre, based in
Mogadishu, provided emergency response services to the woman with medical
and psychosocial support and has instigated legal action. A medical report
has also confirmed the injuries sustained by the woman in question is
consistent with being raped multiple times. The woman however is now with a
secondary organisation for further support.
It is understood that the Somali Military Court arrested two of the five
persons connected with the initial kidnap of the woman, a Somali man and
woman. The actual perpetrators of the gang rape are still to be arrested.
It is understood that the case is to be transferred to the Somali Police
Force and that investigations are ongoing.
As yet, it is unknown what action is being taken against the perpetrators of
the gang rape.
Additional information currently coming to light indicates that there may be
further Somali women held inside the Maslah military camp who are being used
for sexual purposes.
A spokesperson from the Somali Women's Development Centre stated that, "The
recent gang rape of this young woman is one of the many brutal incidents of
sexual violence women and girls in Somalia are facing on a daily basis.
Irrespective of the wealth, status or nationality of the perpetrator,
justice must be served and the Somali government should see to it that no
perpetrator walks free."
Hala Alkarib, Regional Director of the <
http://www.sihanet.org/> Strategic
Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa stated that: "The United Nations
and the African Union must address the repeated incidents of vulnerable
Somali women being raped by AMISOM troops.
Sexual Violence and Impunity have been known within international military
deployments for many years - this abuse should be stopped immediately and be
addressed at the highest levels, both within the AU and the UN. There is no
justification for military forces committing rape under any circumstances.
Rape and enslavement are brutal crimes against which the international
community must take concrete steps to address."
For more information, please contact Joanne Crouch at SIHA Network on +256
779 386 476 or joanne_at_sihanet.org
Sexual violence has blighted the lives of Somali women with consistently
high numbers being attacked both inside IDP camps in Mogadishu and in South
Central Somalia. Perpetrators are frequently known to wear Somali government
uniforms and although a number are part of the Somali government, many
others form part of independent militias that have grown in the absence of a
solid security structure in the capital.
According to the records of SWDC, rape has escalated dramatically since the
inception of the 2011 famine and stayed consistently high, although has
noted a particular increase in the previous three months.
Across all NGOs and women's associations in Mogadishu alone, around 20
incidents of sexual violence are reported every day, with around 30% being
under the age of 18. Lack of awareness on how to access help, the prospect
of stigma and fear of reprisals mean that the actual numbers of rape victims
is likely to be substantially higher.
Redress against perpetrators has been limited and despite the Somali
President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud condemning the widespread sexual violence
and demanding the implementation of the death sentence, there has been
limited implementation of justice.
Access to justice and arrest and prosecution of perpetrators has been
hindered by threats and hostility towards sexual violence support workers
and legal case workers. Similarly the weak statutory system has struggled to
arrest perpetrators even when identified let alone successfully bring about
prosecutions. In addition, women and their families who have reported sexual
violence have been subjected to harassment, arrest and detention as well as
threats against their families for seeking justice.
SWDC, through their sexual violence response unit have identified AMISOM
involvement with a number of incidents of sexual violence though despite
attempts at legal action, no prosecutions have thus far been successful.
In January 2013, in a high profile case, a woman who had been raped by
government soldiers and an investigating journalist were both arrested and
sentenced with defaming a government institution. They were released upon
appeal; nonetheless the case highlighted the inadequacies of the current
judicial system to deal with sexual violence with Navi Pillay, the head of
UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights calling the prosecutions
political2. Since then, SIHA and SWDC has identified further survivors and
families who have been arrested and threatened for speaking up and seeking
prosecutions against perpetrators of sexual violence.
AMISOM troops have been stationed in Somalia, predominantly in the Mogadishu
area since 2007 where they have served to support the previous transitional
federal government and the current Somali national government to attain
stability and security in the face of armed opposition groups, most
commonly, Al Shabaab.
Received on Thu Aug 15 2013 - 17:32:11 EDT