Kidnapped women ‘used by Boko Haram on front line’: rights group

Boko Haram has used kidnapped young women and girls on the front lines of its insurgency, according to a new report published on Monday, after a fresh abduction in Nigeria’s far northeast. Human Rights Watch made the claim as it outlined testimony from dozens of former hostages who documented physical and psychological abuse at the hands of the militants. The women, who were held from between two days to three months, were seized from their homes and villages, while working on the land, fetching water or at school. They were made to cook, clean and perform household chores. Some were forced to carry stolen goods seized by the insurgents after attacks. The women also talked about rape as well as physical violence.

I was told to hold the bullets and lie in the grass while they fought. They came to me for extra bullets as the fight continued during the day. When security forces arrived at the scene and began to shoot at us, I fell down in fright. The insurgents dragged me along on the ground as they fled back to camp.

A 19-year-old woman who was held in militant camps for three months last year

Suspected Islamist fighters kidnapped about 30 children, including girls as young as 11, in Borno state at the weekend. A week earlier, at least 40 women and girls were seized in neighbouring Adamawa. Both kidnappings—and continued violence in northeast Nigeria and northern Cameroon—have cast doubt on government claims of a ceasefire deal and agreement for the release of 219 schoolgirls held since April. Boko Haram has used kidnapping as a tactic since the start of its insurgency in 2009 but Human Rights Watch said the authorities had done nothing to prevent it or bring those responsible to book.

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