Source: National Türk
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has said that it is currently investigating an alleged gang rape of a Somali woman by its forces in the capital Mogadishu.
A Somali woman has alleged to the mission that she was abducted to a remote area in the capital and then repeatedly raped earlier this month by soldiers from the African Union Mission in the country.
The African Union Mission in Somalia is made up of some 17,700-strong force from five different African countries that are supporting the internationally-backed government against Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab.
Local reporters say the allegation has caused anger in the capital and there have been protests by women activist groups in the country.
The African Union mission in Somalia said in a statement that it has taken the allegation of the abuse seriously and it’s “committed to enhancing the safety of women in Somalia”.
“We have set up a joint team with the Somali army to investigate the matter and appropriate action be taken once the facts of the case have been established, the mission strongly condemns any incidents of alleged sexual abuse or exploitation of this nature’’, the mission said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said in a statement that the government was deeply troubled by the incident and would work to bring justice to ensure that such crimes do not occur again in the country.
If investigation confirms that the said rape did took place, it will badly bring the reputation of the African Union force into disrepute since they are suppose to protect citizens from such attacks and treatments.
African Union Forces from five countries including Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Uganda have been fighting against Al-Qaeda-linked al Shabab insurgency in Somalia since 2007.
Somalia has been rocked with insurgency from Al-Qaeda-linked al Shabab for more than two decades but international assistance from the United States, the International Monetary Fund and the African Union is yielding some good results although al-Shabab militants still poses some level of threat to the country’s stability.