Wanlaweyn, Somalia (Sahan Post):\u2014 In the village of Dudumo, located in Wanlaweyn District of Lower Shabelle Region, a man identified as Isxaaq Da\u2019uud Maxamed was brutally tortured and burned alive in an incident that has shocked communities across Somalia.<\/p>\n
Torture and Killing Captured on Video<\/strong><\/p>\n Witnesses and videos shared widely on social media show Isxaaq bound with his hands tied behind his back, severely beaten, and later set on fire by a group of men as onlookers, including children, watched helplessly.<\/p>\n In the footage, Isxaaq can be seen moving his leg as the flames engulf his body, but no one intervenes. He died at the scene, his body reduced to ashes.<\/p>\n Victim Was Mentally Ill<\/strong><\/p>\n Family members say that Isxaaq had suffered from mental illness for nearly 30 years. Lawyer Abuukar Maxamed, a relative of the victim, told BBC Somali Service that Isxaaq had committed no crime.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was mentally unwell and had been suffering for years,\u201d Abuukar said. \u201cWe learned Friday morning that he was missing, and later found that he had been tortured and burned alive in Wanlaweyn. He was still alive when they set him on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Abuukar condemned the act as \u201cbarbaric, inhuman, and un-Islamic.\u201d<\/p>\n Public Outrage and Political Reactions<\/strong><\/p>\n The killing has sparked widespread condemnation on Somali social media. The incident occurred between the former Balli-Doogle Air Force base and Wanlaweyn town, in an area known as Dundumo.<\/p>\n Politicians from Lower Shabelle and the Southwest State described the killing as a heinous and unprecedented act of cruelty. Some lawmakers allege that the incident is linked to clan revenge, claiming that members of the victim\u2019s clan had previously killed men from the clan that carried out this attack.<\/p>\n Reports indicate that repeated revenge killings have occurred in the Wanlaweyn area, with innocent civilians frequently caught in the violence. Just weeks earlier, 13 people, including a 3-year-old child, were killed in the same district, also in what was described as a clan-related attack.<\/p>\n Officials Trade Blame<\/strong><\/p>\n Member of Parliament Daahir Amiin Jeesow blamed the Southwest State administration, led by President Cabdicasiis Laftagareen, for failing to prevent the ongoing violence.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is deeply disturbing,\u201d Jeesow said. \u201cThirteen people were killed while fetching water, among them a mother and her 3 year child. Now a mentally ill man has been burned alive. Innocent people are suffering, and the authorities must be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n He also alleged that Southwest regional police officials were complicit in the conflict.<\/p>\n However, MP Sareedo, also from the Southwest State, rejected Jeesow\u2019s claims, saying that the victim was not mentally ill but was \u201con his way to join a fight.\u201d Her statement has been criticized for fueling tensions, as all circulating videos show Isxaaq defenseless, bound, and unarmed.<\/p>\n Ongoing Clan Violence<\/strong><\/p>\n The recurrent clashes in Lower Shabelle have particularly affected nomadic and rural communities, who are more vulnerable due to limited access to education and justice.<\/p>\n On Sunday, in a nearby village called Gareeri, reportedly inhabited by people from the same clan as those who killed Isxaaq, houses were set ablaze. Unconfirmed reports say that a mother and her three children died in the fire.<\/p>\n Calls for Justice<\/strong><\/p>\n The Federal Government of Somalia has urged an immediate cessation of hostilities and mediation between the warring clans, warning that the violence could escalate further.<\/p>\n The District Commissioner of Wanlaweyn confirmed that Isxaaq was buried on Saturday, and said that some of the perpetrators have been arrested.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened was horrifying,\u201d the commissioner said. \u201cWe have detained several suspects, and investigations are ongoing. All those involved will be brought to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Growing Trend of Brutality<\/strong><\/p>\n The incident adds to a series of inhumane and unlawful killings that have occurred recently in Somalia.<\/p>\n Then, on Friday, November 7, Isxaaq Da\u2019uud Maxamed, a mentally ill man who had gone missing from his family, was captured, tortured, and burned alive in Wanlaweyn.<\/p>\n A Call for Accountability<\/strong><\/p>\n These repeated acts of barbaric violence demand urgent attention from Somali authorities and international human rights organizations.<\/p>\n Human rights defenders are calling for independent investigations and stronger measures to protect vulnerable groups from escalating clan-based and vigilante violence.<\/p>\n Sahan Post will continue investigating the cases in Qaayib (Galgaduud), Xingalool (Sanaag), and Wanlaweyn (Lower Shabelle).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Contact us: info@sahanpost.com<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wanlaweyn, Somalia (Sahan Post):\u2014 In the village of Dudumo, located in Wanlaweyn District of Lower Shabelle Region, a man identified as Isxaaq Da\u2019uud Maxamed was brutally tortured and burned alive… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":2317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-pick","category-human-rights"],"yoast_head":"\n\n