Somalia's Attorney General Ahmed Ali Dahir announced on Wednesday the country's first prosecution against female genital mutilation (FGM) following the death of a 10-year-old girl, an adviser to the government said.
Ifrah Ahmed, who advises Somalia on gender issues, said the attorney general was sending a team of investigators to find out more about the death of the girl, Deeqa, who suffered severe bleeding after her mother took her to a traditional cutter.
The announcement was made at a conference on FGM attended by officials, religious leaders and journalists, which was co-hosted in Mogadishu by the Global Media Campaign to End FGM and the Ifrah Foundation.