The military court in Somalia is investigating claims that Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers recently raped a pregnant woman and a young girl in Janaale Town.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed these reports thus setting the stage for the potential trial of several soldiers, who are likely to face charges of gross misconduct.
SNA had sent its troops to Janaale to liberate the town from the grip of Al-Shabaab fighters, who used it as one of their main sources of income.
Soldiers are facing two counts of rape. The first count states that they raped a heavily pregnant Somali woman. In the second count, they are charged with raping a 13-year old Somali girl.
Southwest’s Minister of Information, Ugaas Hassan Abdi Mohamed, says the two victims were traveling in the same car when they were accosted by the soldiers who then raped them.
This incident comes only two weeks after another one involving two girls aged 3 and 4 years who were raped repeatedly in the nearby town of Afgoye.
Somali’s constitution mandates the military court to enforce discipline within SNA. It has promised to conduct “thorough investigations” to “nail all suspects.”