Human Rights Watch. Somalia refugees abused and raped

Internally displaced people in Somalia are suffering sexual violence and other forms of abuse, reports the Human Rights Watch (HRW) campaign group.

The abuse takes place at the hands of armed groups, including government forces, it says.

In the report, women who fled famine and conflict describe being gang-raped in camps in the capital, Mogadishu.

Managers of the camps - often allied to militias - siphon off food and other aid, the HRW report says.

HRW says that even though the new Somali government which came to power in September last year has made some impressive statements, it has done very little to change the situation on the ground.

"Our findings suggested that the people in these camps are often basically kept captive in the camps," said David Mepham, the UK director of Human Rights Watch.

"They are not really able to leave. The gatekeepers who control the camps are themselves very abusive.

"They siphon off some of the international assistance that is intended for people in the camps - people who are in many cases in serious distress, in serious need."