Volume 1, Issue 4-5 / March-April 2009
Refugee man attacked by unknown males, robbed of cell phone, and left with injuries to the skull, then reschedules his JVA appointment for the following day.
On 25th February at around 7:45 pm, a Somali refugee man was seriously injured by five unknown attackers who assaulted him with a large stick. The victim was waylaid as he walked from Phase One to Phase Two in Kakuma Two.
The victim was robbed of his cell phone before he was dealt a severe blow across the forehead and knocked unconscious. After regaining consciousness, he walked to his house bleeding seriously, his shirt drenched in blood. The victim’s screams drew a crowd, and local security personnel summoned the Kenyan Police by radio.
When police arrived they immediately called for an ambulance and the victim was transported to the IRC Main Hospital in the camp. On February 28th, he was transported to Lodwar Hospital for an x-ray to confirm whether his skull was cracked. He was returned to IRC Main Hospital and discharged on March 2nd.
The victim had been scheduled for an appointment with JVA the following morning to review his resettlement process to the United States. His relatives informed JVA of the incident and the interview was rescheduled for the following day. He was assisted with transport from the hospital to attend his interview.
Generally, security in the camp has been improving since the Kenyan GSU troops (General Services Unit) were deployed with the police in July 2008.
KANERE attempted to contact the District Officer, the Camp Manager, and senior police officials, but was unable to reach them in their offices.