Interpol-led arrest spotlights Somalia’s struggle with sexual violence, jurisdiction and fragile justice
MOGADISHU — The arrest and transfer to Mogadishu of a former hospital director accused of rape has set off questions across Somalia about who prosecutes crimes in a country where authority is often divided and justice fragile.
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Authorities say Interpol, working with Rwandan officials, helped locate and arrest Jama Abdi Mohamud, the one-time director of a hospital in Qardho, who has been accused of sexual assault and of secretly recording and sharing indecent images. Somali prosecutors say he will face formal charges in the capital after being flown from Rwanda. Another suspect tied to the same incidents remains in custody in Garowe, the administrative seat of Puntland State, the semi-autonomous region where Qardho is located.
The case is notable for its cross-border elements — international police cooperation, an extradition from a third country, and a tug-of-war over whether the central government or Puntland State’s courts should adjudicate. It also throws a harsh light on a longer-running problem: sexual violence in public institutions and the difficulty victims in Somalia face in finding recourse.
A rare win for cooperation — and a test of institutions
Somalia’s Attorney General’s office said investigators found evidence of rape and the distribution of indecent images on social media. Officials in Mogadishu publicly thanked the government of Rwanda for assisting Interpol in locating and detaining the suspect, who had been living there, according to Somali authorities.
For a country long marked by porous borders, intermittent central authority and competing regional powers, the arrest represents a rare instance of effective cross-border policing. Interpol notices and extradition instruments have become important tools when suspects flee conflict zones; but their success often depends on cooperation from third countries, and on well-documented requests from courts or prosecutors.
“This shows what is possible when international mechanisms work — law enforcement can follow the trails that cross borders and bring suspects to face the law,” said a veteran legal adviser who has worked in the Horn of Africa. “But that is only the first step.”
Who will try the case — Mogadishu or Puntland State?
The crime reportedly occurred in Qardho, inside Puntland State’s jurisdiction, and one of the legal questions now dogging the case is whether the federal government will hand it back to Puntland State’s courts. Puntland State, formed in 1998, has often been praised for relatively stronger local governance and functioning judicial institutions compared with other parts of Somalia. Its courts and police have a track record of prosecuting high-profile local crimes.
Yet Mogadishu has asserted jurisdiction by transferring the suspect to the capital. That raises both practical and political questions: Will the victims be able to travel and give testimony comfortably? Can evidence gathered in Puntland State be lawfully transferred and admitted in federal courts? And does the choice of forum reflect political contestation between federal and regional authorities as much as it does legal necessity?
Jurisdictional friction is not unique to Somalia. In countries with federal structures or autonomous regions, serious crimes that cross local borders can become proxies for political power struggles. The result is often delay — and for survivors of sexual violence, delay can mean re-traumatization and a diminished chance of justice.
Sexual violence in public settings: a persistent, underreported problem
Humanitarian agencies, UN bodies and local rights groups have long warned that sexual violence in Somalia is underreported, stigmatized and poorly investigated. Hospitals and other public facilities — places where people go to seek help — can become sites of abuse when oversight is weak and perpetrators occupy trusted positions.
Recording and sharing intimate images adds a particularly modern and malicious dimension to the crime. Digital evidence can be crucial, but it also presents challenges: preservation, authentication, chain of custody and the privacy rights of survivors. In fragile legal systems, forensic capacity is often limited, leaving prosecutors to rely on witness testimony and circumstantial links.
Survivors commonly face social stigma, threats, and economic barriers to seeking justice. That reality has prompted calls from activists for better protection measures, witness relocation, trauma-informed care, and the strengthening of medico-legal services — all of which require resources and political will.
What this means for accountability and reform
The arrest will be judged by Somalis and international observers not by the headlines it makes now, but by what happens at trial. Will the prosecution present evidence in a way that respects due process and the rights of the accused? Will victims receive protection and support that allows them to participate without fear? Will the ruling be enforced?
Beyond the immediate case, this episode touches on two broader questions facing Somalia and many countries emerging from conflict: how to build credible, decentralized justice systems, and how to integrate international cooperation into domestic rule of law without undermining regional autonomy.
Somali authorities have publicly expressed gratitude for Rwanda’s cooperation. Rwanda, too, has in recent years played a growing role in regional security affairs, and its willingness to assist underlines how national interests and international policing intersect in complex ways across Africa.
Looking ahead
As the case moves forward, its handling will test the capacity of Somalia’s institutions to protect victims and hold powerful individuals to account. It will also test whether international police cooperation can be translated into domestic justice that survivors can trust.
For ordinary Somalis, the questions are immediate and personal: Can survivors bring accusations against people in positions of local power without risking their safety and reputations? For policymakers and donors, the questions are structural: What investments in forensic capacity, witness protection, and regional judicial cooperation will reduce impunity?
The arrest of a once-esteemed hospital director is a reminder that effective justice requires both the global mechanisms that can trace suspects across borders and the local institutions that can try cases fairly, protect survivors and deter future abuse. Which of those pieces — the international or the domestic — will prove the weakest link in this case remains to be seen.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
