Nigerians massively fled across the border with Niger when insurgents of Boko Haram attacked their town, Damassak, on 24 November 2014.
On Thursday, the Nigerian military announced encouraging news that at least 160 more individuals were rescued from Sambisa Forest. The captives, about 100 children and 60 women, were all held by Boko Haram militants.
The news comes just days after another 200 girls and 93 women were rescued in the same forest. Many of the women are traumatized by the events of their capture and are receiving medical treatment. Colonel Sani Usman, the spokesman for the Nigerian army, said that all of the rescued individuals will be taken to an undisclosed location where they will be identified and asked questions regarding their capture.
Some of the women allegedly shot at their rescuers. One woman and a soldier died in the fighting leading up to the rescue. Eight women and four soldiers were injured. It is unclear whether or not the girls rescued today are part of the Chibok group that was kidnapped over a year ago. Currently, 219 of the Chibok girls remain missing.
The extent of trauma the abductees experienced is crucial to understand, argues Amnesty International. Some of the girls, who were traumatized, fired at Nigerian soldiers out of fear. Boko Haram has been known to sexually and physically abuse their prisoners. The rights group urged the Nigerian government to care for the psychological and physical wellbeing of those rescued.
"The trauma suffered by the women and girls is truly horrific. Some have been repeatedly raped, sold into sexual slavery or indoctrinated and even forced to fight for Boko Haram," said Netsanet Belay the Africa Director for Research and Advocacy at Amnesty International.
"What they need now is medical and psychological care and support and privacy. The government must now ensure that it doesn’t add to their suffering with lengthy detention and security screening which can only add to their suffering and plight," he urged.
Nigerian troops continue to make significant advances against Boko Haram. As a result, many hostages are being liberated from the militants.
"This development is just cause for celebration and undoubtedly an immense relief to the women, girls and their families," said Belay. But he also stressed that "this is just the tip of the iceberg; there are thousands more women and girls, and men and boys who have been abducted by Boko Haram." Amnesty International calculates that in the past year and a half, about 2,000 women and girls have been abducted by the terrorist group.
