MOGADISHU (SD)-The Somali government is urged to intensify efforts to address security challenges and the prevailing lawlessness in the country, as well as to improve the monitoring and prosecution of cases related to sexual and gender-based violence, said a United Nations human rights expert today.

The Independent Expert on the Situation of Human Rights in Somalia Ms. Isha Dyfan emphasized that sexual and gender-based violence, especially rape and gang rape, are rampant, and there is a need for concerted action to ensure accountability and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and punished according to the law.

Dyfan applauded progress in legal reforms, including the successful adoption of the first four chapters of the Federal Government of Somalia’s Provisional Constitution, to facilitate the advancement of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Somalia.

The report comes as Somalia’s Federal government objected to the renewal of the UN office’s mandate in Somalia.