Women and girls freed from Boko Haram talk about stonings, other horrors

Last week, Nigeria's army rescued about 700 women and children abducted by the Islamist militia Boko Haram, and the first contingent of 275 arrived late Saturday at a government refugee camp near Yola, the capital of northeastern Adamawa state. The women and kids are receiving medical care, and on Sunday they told reporters sad and harrowing stories about their capture, captivity, and rescue.

Many of the women said that when Boko Haram abducted them, the militants first killed their husbands and older male offspring in front of them. Some of the women were forced to marry Boko Haram fighters, and one women told Reuters that they were fed only dried ground corn in the afternoons, leading to widespread malnutrition and death. Also, "they didn't allow us to move an inch," explained Asabe Umaru. "If you needed the toilet, they followed you. We were kept in one place. We were under bondage."

The assaults didn't end when the Nigerian forces drew near. "Boko Haram came and told us they were moving out and that we should run away with them. But we said no," Lami Musa, 27, told The Associated Press. "Then they started stoning us. I held my baby to my stomach and doubled over to protect her."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Some of the survivors, hiding, were accidently crushed by Nigerian government tanks coming to rescue them, and at least three other women died when they stepped on a land mine en route to the refugee camp.

Nigeria and neighboring countries have been capturing ground from Boko Haram since February, pushing them into the Sambisa Forest, where the captured women and children were all found. Outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed to leave his successor a country "free of terrorist strongholds" when he leaves office later this month. Reuters has a slideshow of the women reaching camp below. —Peter Weber