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Suspect arrested after woman was gang raped in Wajir

Principal Magistrate Monica Kîvuti was shot and injured during court hearings at the Makadara Law Courts (Photo: EV)

By Yunis Dekow | Tuesday, April 16, 2024

According to the police, the man named five others, saying it was a gang rape. He will be arraigned on Tuesday as detectives hunt for the other suspects.

A suspect has been arrested following the gang-raping of a newly married woman in Wajir’s Barwaqo Ward on Monday morning.

Area chief Yahya Abdullahi said the incident occurred at 11 am at Afgoye Village.

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“This is a very unfortunate incident. Security agencies are conducting investigations. Further information will be provided once this is concluded,” Yahya said.

Members of the public caught the suspect at the scene of the incident. He was later handed over to the police, who visited the scene.

According to the police, the man named five others, saying it was a gang rape. He will be arraigned on Tuesday as detectives hunt for the other suspects.

Siyad Jimale, the executive director of Horizon Analysts and Researchers Network (HARN), decried a surge in gender-based violence saying "painful and ugly" acts have recurred even with a functional government and fully equipped security agencies in place.

He described the latest incident as "both traumatising and utterly concerning."

“It is shocking that a similarly ugly case of sexual violence happened a few months ago. The last incident left the victim dead,” Siyad said, adding that it came "after another married woman was raped and later murdered in the outpost of Wajir East Constituency.”

He also cited a case where a boy in Wajir’s Got-Ade area was defiled.

Call for action

Security officers in Wajir have been urged to act swiftly, apprehend the culprits and put measures in place to avert such life-threatening acts.

Hassan Ali, a Wajir resident said the incident "was a very unfortunate reality that women in the county continue to face at an unprecedented rate."

He observed that an urgent need is required for better protection and support for victims of sexual violence, who are mainly women and girls.

“Hopefully, stakeholders will take proactive actions in addressing this critical issue and finding justice for the victim,” he said.

Local leaders, clerics and elders have also been tasked to speak up against the vice.

Elders in North Eastern have severally attempted to solve the case through the Maslah court system which is used widely among the Somalis and is becoming more common..