A family of strangers

Mohamed who in his 30s tells how the past three years of his life has been a complete and total horror. When the Boko Haram entered into his town of Banki he fleed hundred of miles to Cameroon. His friend, however, who was a part of the Boko Haram, told him that he would be safe and there was no reason for him to fear anything. He had a small business selling and buying phones and was content with the life that he had. However, once he came back his friend forced him to join the army and he did out of fear for his life. For the next two years, they went raiding villages and kidnapping the women to sell them to be married. Eventually, they were forced out of their camp and forced into the Sambusa forest. There were 12 camps with 500 hundred people in each one all of them named after a different town. During the early years the soldiers were paid a small amount of money each week but towards the end after the Nigerian bombed the place where they held the money their paycheck went away and that went the group started to fall apart. Mohamed started to sell cellphones again and would sell them. Later he was appointed as a bodyguard to a senior commander wife who was a flight risk and needed to be looked after. Aisha was a young woman who lost her child after a few years of them living with the commanders. She was married off 3 times. One night after they were caught having a talk about running away they were tied up and they managed to escarp and surrender to the Nigerian army. There was a boy who escaped with them and now they are all waiting to hear if they will be able to stay together or what their fate may be.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41388569

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