Wednesday, July 14, 2010
NAIROBI, (IRIN) - Tension is high between Somali and Sudanese refugees in Dadaab refugee camp, northern Kenya, after the killing of a Somali boy on the night of 13 July.
The killing sparked riots in the camp after the body was found near structures occupied by Sudanese refugees, with reports that some shelters were burnt down. The Kenyan police and officials of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) were in the camp and tried to calm things down.
IRIN spoke on the telephone with Halima Ali Durgube, a Somali refugee who was the boy's guardian:
"Abdullahi Mahmud Osman was 13. He was staying with my family although I am his second aunt.
"Abdullahi arrived from Somalia recently. He was with us for only four days. Today would have been his fifth day and he is dead.
"His father is dead and his mother is a pastoralist in Harardhere [near Mogadishu] where he was before going to Mogadishu and finally coming to Dadaab.
"I last saw Abdullahi at around 8pm last night as he left home. He told me: 'Aunt, I am going to pray at the mosque... I will come back soon.' These were his last words to me as I opened the door for him to go out.
"He did not come back soon and I eventually fell asleep; it was about 3am when I first noticed that Abdullahi had not returned. In the morning when I woke up, I heard people shouting, saying the body of a boy had been found lying somewhere in the camp. I rushed to the scene to find out what was happening.
"I was shocked to recognize the body as that of Abdullahi; he had been slaughtered and his liver and kidneys taken. His hands were also damaged and his stomach was taken out of him...
"I uncovered his face, which had been covered with a piece of cloth, and examined the body from head to toe.
"The body was lying near the Sudanese camp residence.
"Can you imagine how horrible I feel? I believe this was a deliberate plot by evil minds. I don’t think he was killed by other youths; youth cannot eat liver and kidneys. I believe these organs were taken by people who eat flesh.
"The police have taken Abdullahi's body; we don’t know where it is as I have not received any information from them yet.
"I have never seen horrible killing like this... I haven’t communicated with UNHCR officials because riots broke out between Somalis and Sudanese as soon as the body was found. I went back home to ensure the safety of my children.
"At the moment, I don't have anything to say. Everybody can see this is a catastrophe. Everyone can see what has happened to us.
"We trust God will relieve us from the grievance we face."
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