Crimes of torture and inhuman treatment of Gharri citizens has been reported in El Wak Districts, and the Gharri populations are under Yusuf Haji’s military occupation in El Wak District.

El Wak was taken over by the Yusuf Haji’s military brigade. As he promised earlier, Yusuf Haji has deployed a selected few of his military personnel to carry out the same genocide and barbaric acts that he committed against the Degodia citizens in Waqala, and the Gharri of Malka Mari.

As a result of Yusuf Haji’s direct order, all Gharri males between sixteen and seventy five years old that were encountered, were rounded up and marched to an air field known as “Kwanja” and were severely tortured, and subjecting them to prolonged exposure to scorching temperatures, Putting needle like sharp objects in their penises, and ears, Handcuffing them with tight flexi-cuffs to cause deep skin cut and nerve damage. Beatings them with batten and bottom of rifles, as well as punching and kicking, thereby forcing them to confess to whatever they have alleged to and to crimes they have not committed.

Their wives and teen age girls were brutally raped, and sodomized,

This mayhem started on October 26, 2008 against residents of Wargadud. The entire Gharri adult males between seventeen and seventy five were rounded up from their homes in Wargadud, were held against their wills in the jungle, and tortured. According to one of the victims’ accounts, the Yusuf Haji’s torture brigade used inhuman torture tactics and forced them to confess to crimes they have not committed. Their testicles were twisted and pulled and inflected pain. Also, some of those victims arms and legs were tied up together and were poked with barbwires and needle like objects under their nails and between toes.

Ibrahim Abdi Salam is given a drip orally by a relative at El-Wak in Mandera Central District Hospital after failing to get a doctor to attend to him. Photo: Andrew Kilonzi/Standard

It was reported that many of the people who were taken from their homes are not accounted for. 150 male victims are now in local clinic complaining of chest pain, displaced and broken ribs, facial lacerations, fractured foreheads, and punctured lungs.

Many have escaped and taken refuge in neighboring Somali and Ethiopia. Also, there are others who drowned in the river, while fleeing from these brutalities, attempting to cross the river.

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