Ministry of Defense investigating gang rape committed by SNA

The Ministry of Defense is investigating the alleged gang rape of a minor and a pregnant woman in Lower Shabelle by Somali soldiers.

In a statement released by the Ministry on Wednesday, the ministry said that a military court is investigating the allegation.

The Minister of Information for the South West State of Somalia, Ugas Hassan Abdi Mohamed, told local reporters that the victims are a 13-year-old girl and a pregnant woman that was travelling in the same car.

He added that he was deeply disturbed by the rape of two citizens by the same people who were placed there to protect them.

Activists in Somalia have long derided the security establishment for not doing more to prevent rape from members of the police force, military or marines.

Janale was the scene of heavy fighting last month as Somali government troops fought to liberate the strategic agricultural town from Al-Shabaab militants.

Ugas Hassan added that this is not an isolated case in Lower Shabelle, referencing the rape of two young girls aged just 3 and 4 who were abducted near their home in Afgoye on April 1. The governor of the Lower Shabelle region, Ibrahim Adan Ali Najah has said that 18 people have been arrested in connection with the assault.

The suspects in this latest case, Mohamed Aden Ali Sheik and Issaq Ibrahim were arrested and will be sent to Mogadishu to face a military court.

The absence of concrete rape legislation in Somalia has led to a lack of consensus on how perpetrators should be punished. The investigation into these crimes is often stymied by the police because they are unable to properly carry out investigations and collect reliable evidence.