Galkacyo: Not a safe haven IDP's Being Raped.

[Cowke]

 

SOMALIA: Instead of a safe haven, fear and rape in Galkayo.

 

Exhausted by the violence in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, Asha (not real name) fled to Galkayo in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, believing her family would be safer there.

 

Until a week ago, when she was attacked near the displaced people's camp that is her new home in Galkayo while collecting firewood to sell.

 

"It was around 11am [local time] when three men with guns raped me," the 35-year-old mother of five said. "They held a gun to my head and they took turns to rape me."

 

Asha tried to plead with the men but they would not listen. "I wish I never left Mogadishu," she explained. "At least there, I was never raped."

 

Asha is just one of the growing cases of sexual violence in such camps, according to Hawa Aden Mohamed of Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development (GECPD), an organization that helps internally displaced people (IDPs).

 

"Apart from a lack of basic needs, the displaced women also have to deal with the constant fear of rape,” she said, adding that it was becoming one of the biggest security concerns for women in Galkayo.

 

"It has reached epidemic proportions and needs to be addressed as a matter of utmost urgency," Mohamed told IRIN on 23 September. Her centre was providing counselling and medical help.

 

It recently held a workshop and invited traditional elders, religious leaders and security officials to discuss the issue.

 

The workshop intended to make opinion makers and the police aware that "this is a major problem faced not only by the displaced but also the ordinary citizens of Galkayo", said Mohamed.

 

Almost all the IDPs are Muslims and rape is taboo in Islam. Following the workshop, Muslim preachers took to the mosques to denounce the incidences of rape in the town, said Mohamed.

 

Hawo Aden, a resident of Ajuuran IDP camp, one of the largest in Galkayo, told IRIN that in the past two months, eight women had been raped in her camp alone.

 

"It is happening in every IDP camp," she said.

 

The rape usually happens when the women go out to collect firewood or grass to supplement their meagre income. However, "in the last month or so, the rapists came into the camp at night and took women by force", she added.

 

Mohamed told IRIN the judicial and law enforcement system in Galkayo was not capable of dealing with the problem. As a result, civil society organizations were trying to involve the ordinary public.

 

"We will keep shouting from the rooftops until we succeed in eliminating rape," she added.

 

Legal hurdles

 

The Galkayo police chief, Col Muse Hasasi, told IRIN his force was treating sexual violence like any other crime. "We get a complaint, we investigate and arrest the culprit," he said.

 

Local journalists, however, said rape victims rarely reported attacks due to fear that they may be victimized a second time.

 

"There is simply no mechanism for reporting [rape]," one local journalist explained. "If a woman went to the police to report an attack, first she faces ridicule and secondly, she is then asked to pay for the expense of holding the attacker in police custody, and these are people who cannot afford to feed themselves."

 

Asha said she was considering returning to Mogadishu. "As soon as I have enough money for transport I will return," she added. "I don't care if they kill me."

 

Source: irinnews.org

[Cowke]

This is a serious issue that is concerning galkacyo. Something needs to be done by their community to address this disgraceful manner.

 

War miyadan bin-adan ahayn? this city is puntland poorest performing region and most dangerous spot in our region. Some ppl say it can be reformed and I used to be off that crowd, however everyday their something disastrous coming from there.

 

Puntland wa in la tashada. Is it time to reduce puntland to the peaceful states of bari, nugal, sanaag? and annex the wild wild west regions of mudug, sool, and cayn?

 

It seems as if it was a disaster to include reer hawd into the peaceful north-eastern bloc(bari, sanaag, nugaal)

 

Mudug might infact be better off in the same government of galmudug, they have similar attitudes and behaviour standards. Sool and cayn can create their own little dervish state.

 

Maybe it is time to have another garowe conference like 94 except in 2009 it will be review of each state and using comparison model seeing if it is worth the hassle of carrying that state in our region.

[General Duke]

Poor attempt at an attack. First of all as a Somali who loves the state of Puntland I will not attack any of our towns, cities and dwellings. For a fact I know you are not what you pretend to be. Let me help address some of your ignorance. These criminal acts took place in an IDP refugee camp as the article states. Its unacceptable and must be addressed by the community as a whole.

 

However the city of Glakacyu is the second largest in terms of population and economic activity. The fact that in 2009 its schools out performed every other city including the capital Garowe, & Bossaso also is a rebuke to your claims made here.

 

Again young man try again, for you seem angry and out of touch.

[Cowke]

General duke, this is not an attack on the people of galkacyo but it is an issue that needs to be addressed. You can't expect to have guests in your house and treat them in bad way. This is not apart of our culture not religion

 

If you are blind to the fact that galkacyo is the weak spot of puntland, then go see a doctor sxb!!! Galkacyo has got a fresh city admin. Let see what they do about it. I can't wait to give my review on galkacyo in 2013 election of puntland.

 

As for mudug being annexed from puntland, lol take a chill pill sxb i was just kidding. But i want our second largest city in puntland to be a shining example of peace, progress, and development.

 

Not to what has fallen to, and notice it became like this after abdullahi left? its like their only allegiance was to that man and not to the state at all.

[General Duke]

^^^You are contradicting yourself adeer. Galkacyu is as you say the second largest city in Puntland, and economicly the second richest city in Puntland. It has faced many issues, and has a new admin, insha Allah it will get better.

 

This topic is tragic, yes and needs to be dealt with but Galkacyu dear boy is a booming town of business and its education sector is doing great.

 

More need to be done but dont underplay the importance of this city to all of Puntland.

[Fiqikhayre]

ilaahow gaalkacyo la'aanteed hana dhigin.

[Cowke]

Duke, I don't underplay galkacyo and i have alot of respect for the people of galkacyo. However these issues that are occuring in their city is because they have no love for puntland state because adeer abdullahi aint around anymore.

 

I am afraid to say the galkacyo ppl are "beesha first" not "state first" and we can't allow these destructive symptoms spread to other areas and infect every region.

 

Firstly you need to realize a policy that the kingz know. Which is even if you don't like who the leader is, you should respect him on behalf of the office he represents. Because this office was created by all puntland people in the famous garowe conference in 1994 and the second conference in 1998 when they elected abdullahi yusuf as the leader.

 

This sort of mentality is just totally lacking in mudug and you being from mudug i urge you to speak to your people and make them realize this is not about clans but about the state.

 

Good/bad leaders will come and go, however the office will remain permanent and therefore they need to stand patriotic to puntland even if their clan is not leading the state, which galkacyo have failed to show.

 

The galkacyo people have shown they are loyal to puntland as long as 1 of their boys is in the office and we can't tolerate this sort of frame of mind, it is destructive, it causes division and more importantly it causes civil-unrest. What follows from civil unrest is what is scary and that is civil-war.

 

So for the sake of puntland, I urge your ppl to stand behind puntland, drop the clan-card and work for the good of the state. If they can't accept that sxb and they wanna continue to cause havoc and hell in galkacyo because Abdullahi has gone and none of their clans-men is in the presidential palace in garowe. Then we the remainder of puntland need to sit down for a garowe conference part 3 and decide if galkacyo is worth the trouble.

 

This is in the interest of the state i am speaking off and not any clan bashing. Even if my clan was doing that stuff I would be the first to say, save puntland and remove my ppl from your juristiction and good luck brothers.

 

Because it is better 1 brother makes it, rather then all the brothers falling down. You know what I mean?

 

This is how reer bari people think sxb and mudug people don't think like that, they just think of raping women in idp camps!

[General Duke]

^^^First of all gett the contradiction out of your system. If reer Galkacyu are rapist then you are a rapist since they are your people. Dont get it confused my boy, as I have said before there is no difference what so ever between reer Qhardo & Galkacyu, same language, culture, religion and even last name. So think before you try to make a point.

[Cowke]

Duke, well problems need to be solved in galkacyo and it needs to start from the bottom and i mean right at the bottom of the barrel.

 

The mind-frame of galkacyo people is not 1 that is shared by puntland. We bari, nugaal are patriotic of the state no matter who is in office.

 

However we don't see this occur in galkacyo? We must ask ourselves!!! If you think I am hater for doing so, well so be it.

 

I think and care for the interest of Puntland, not the interest of any 1 clan. I love my clan of course, but i would never choose my clan before the state.

 

PS: notice how i dropped cade muse from roll-call of the kings? because even though cadde muse was good for our ppl and helped us out alot. He wasn't good for the remaining regions of puntland. Therefore me being patriot of the state, I have to abadon cadde muse and to be quite honest you won't see any kingz supporting him because we know puntland is bigger then clan-agenda, it is our region heartland at stake here.

 

So Duke, drop the clan-hat buddy when you come home, because that is 1 thing we don't tolerate. If u wanna wear your clan-hat outside the house go right ahead, just make sure u don't bring that destructive frame of mind inside the house because people will argue, riot, cause general civil un-rest and 1 month later it will explode into an all-out war.

 

The results of this clan fixated mentality needs to seriously end in puntland and if people are not willing to give it up. Well ina adeer why should they remain apart of the state? what purpose will they serve except cause un-needed back-aches for the state.

 

Wake up mate. Puntland is leader state, not clan mentality state, we are trying to lead all somalis and bring peace between people. Not play clan-card nonsense which other somalis have played and unfortunately they came off second best as we all can witness in mogadishu today.

[General Duke]

^^^Again you uttering bare nonsense. Can you tell us how you measured the mindset of the people of Galkacyu or Mudug? Also note and again a little education the second largest twon in Nugaal is Burtinle and has the same population as Galkacyu.

 

Go answer the Q, ya patriotic Puntlander who is insulting the second largest and most important city of that state.

[Cowke]

General burtinle? sxb it is well known who owns that town and therefore I seriously don't understand why you are claiming it.

 

It is like if i say. I own kismayo because i have few of my qardho people living there, this is pretty much your argument for burtinle and it is pathetic!!!

 

Secondly I didn't insult, i stated an article which i sourced from radio daljir (your ppls website) which stated this atrocious act that has been brought to light just yesterday.

 

You can view that here at your descretion!!!

http://www.radiodalj ir.com/xview.php?id= 376

 

Don't attack me for stating an article from your own clan family website for goodness sakes!!! If you are saying i am insulting galkacyo for re-posting what they posted on their news catalogue then sue me mate.

 

Lastly, Galkacyo is the second largest city, very true. Galkacyo is strategically importatnt town true. But is Galkacyo above Puntland and the general will of the majority of puntland people? No sir they are not and that is where the line needs to be drawn.

 

Anyways sxb I am done arguin with you on this issue and I urge you to tell your people for the love of god don't rape ppl who come to your land to seek shelter.

[General Duke]

^^^Mr Badiyo, you are either not what you claim or are ill informed. As I have stated before you are out of your depth, in the first instance you try and divide brothers, literally families who share the same line. Then you state it’s a regional issue and there is some difference between the people of Mudug, Nugaal & Bari. With all crackpots you present not a single shred of proof.

 

Now again like I said, the city of Burtinle which I have relatives in has the exact same make up as Galkacyu, one is in Mudug the other Nugaal do the inhabitants of this city have different culture and mindsets>?

 

Also lad, this whole topic was done in anger, yes these types of things happen, in an IDP camp but no its not a reflection of the people of the city who have hosted & housed thousands upon thousands of fellow Somali’s out of respect for their people.