Mohanie Mannaru, a 30-year-old Corentyne mother, says she is living in fear after her estranged husband allegedly burnt down the home they built, following what she describes as years of domestic abuse.
Mannaru, a mother of two children aged five and 11, explained that she and her husband separated about three months ago. According to her, he continued to threaten and harass her despite a court order against him.
Speaking to Ignite News, Mannaru recalled that on Saturday, September 26, her husband, who was allegedly intoxicated, went to her mother's home at Number 54 Village, where she was staying, and threatened to kill her and burn down their house.
"He cussed in front of our house and he said he could kill me and he could burn the house," she recounted.
Mannaru noted that she did not take the threat seriously. At about 12:15am on Sunday, September 27, neighbours told her the house was on fire.
She was unable to go to the property that night but visited the next morning and made a report to the police. Police contacted the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service, and investigators examined the property, she added.
She alleged that before the fire, her husband had broken windows, removed sections of the roof and bought gasoline in a jar.
Police searched for her husband, who, according to Mannaru, hid for several days before turning himself in. He was released on station bail pending the fire investigation report, she added.
"I'm not feeling safe at all. I have to hide at my mother's home. I can't take my children to school," she explained. Her mother now takes the children to school.
She pointed out that the relationship was not always abusive. Her husband was supportive at first, but his behaviour changed after he began drinking and allegedly using drugs. She previously made a domestic violence report but reconciled with him because she wanted her children to grow up with both parents.
"I was looking at my children, trying to stay because, you know, children to grow without a father is very hard," she reflected.
The couple lived with her mother-in-law for about three years before buying a house in Port Mourant and relocating it to land provided by her mother-in-law, according to Mannaru. They supported the family through whatever work they could find, including babysitting, rice farming and garden cultivation.
Mannaru awaits the fire report and wants her husband held accountable if he is found responsible.
"I'm hoping to get justice. If he did that, I want him behind the bars," she declared.
Mannaru is staying with relatives along with her children.

The house destroyed by fire