Nigerian army frees 293 girls and women

Nigerian military forces said 200 girls and 93 women have been rescued during major operations ending in the seizure of four Boko Haram camps in the Sambisa Forest.

Students abducted in April 2014 in Chibok will probably not be found among those rescued, as rumours on Twitter suggested.

According new informations from the Nigerian government, the girls and women freed are from the regions of Madagali, Damboa and Gumsiri.

“The troops captured and destroyed three terrorist camps, including the notorious Tokumbere Camp in the Sambisa Forest operation”, Defence spoekesman Chris Olukolade tweeted.

Gen. Chris Olukolade

The girls and women are now being interviewed to determine whether they had been abducted or if they were married to the militants, one intelligence source said.

“Now they are excited about their freedom”, he said. “Tomorrow [today] there will be screenings to determine whether they are Boko Haram wives (…), how long they have been in the camps, and if they have children."

During the operations, some of the girls were injured, and some of the militants killed.

BOKO HARAM, ON RETREAT

In the war against terrorism, Boko Haram has lost much ground in recent weeks. The militias abandoned many of the cities they had been occupying in the north-east of the country.

Local press today, Wednesday, 19 May. / Twitter

Insurgents have retired to open spaces like the Sambisa Forest, the lake of Chad or the mountains which lie between Chad and Cameroon.

Experts ask the population not to go back to their towns yet. 1.5 million displaced people are hoping to go home, but “going back spontaneously” can be dangerous. “Some have been killed by land-mines left by Boko Haram.”