Nigerian women freed from Boko Haram rejected at home – New York Times

 – The New York Times reports on the plight faced by Nigerian women liberated from Boko Haram.

 – Many of the woman face rejection and heartache when they return to their communities.

 – Some people fear the freed captives for being possible agents for the terrorist group.

A new crisis is emerging as the Nigerian military liberates droves of women and girls from their Boko Haram captors.

Many of the newly freed are being rejected when they return to their communities, according to a report released Tuesday.

The women and girls, many of whom were raped by militants, are labeled “annoba,” epidemics, or “Boko Haram wives,” according to the report from International Alert, a peace-building group, and UNICEF.

Community members worry that they have been radicalized by Boko Haram and might try to recruit others to fight with the militant group.

READ ALSO:  Ex-US ambassador to Nigeria speaks out about Boko Haram

“There is a fear that if the needs of these survivors and returning populations are not met, these factors could add another dimension to an already complex conflict situation in northeast Nigeria,” said Kimairis Toogood, an adviser for International Alert in Nigeria.

As many as 2,000 women and children, both girls and boys, have been abducted by Boko Haram since 2012, according to the report, including the 200 girls from Chibok.

The Nigerian government conceded recently that it still does not know the girls’ whereabouts.

Some of the women who have been released are pregnant or have given birth to children whose fathers are Boko Haram fighters.

Boko Haram is still a major threat throughout north-east Nigeria

Community members told researchers that the children had bad blood transmitted from their fathers.

Even some of the released women were uncertain about their own children.

According to the report, one pregnant woman said: “When I think of the baby that will come, it disturbs me a lot because I always ask myself this question: Will the child also behave like JAS?”

In one area, a community leader described the children of Boko Haram fighters as hyenas among dogs.

READ ALSO:  Boko Haram commanders angry with Shekau

The rejections are among numerous unintended consequences of the Nigerian military’s push to liberate miles of territory that Boko Haram had held for months.

As soldiers have scattered Boko Haram, fighters have dispatched suicide bombers throughout northeastern Nigeria and into neighboring countries.

In some areas, the attacks have become almost-daily occurrences.

The United Nations estimates that the violence has prompted 2.8 million people to flee their homes.

After fleeing Boko Haram, refugees sometimes face worse trauma

Many are living in camps or in crowded homes with relatives.

Some are facing food shortages, a looming crisis made worse by low oil prices that are pinching the oil-dependent nation’s budget.

Aid workers fear that the situation could explode into full-blown famine in areas such as Borno state, where 50,000 people have been deemed critically food insecure, according to the United Nations.

The United Nations estimates that 223,000 severely malnourished children throughout northern Nigeria and neighboring countries could die if not helped immediately.

READ ALSO:  Islamic State released new pictures of atrocities in Syria

The skepticism over newly released female captives of Boko Haram may be fueled by the increasing number of female suicide bombers who are carrying out attacks in northern Nigeria.

Aid workers believe that some female captives have been trained to fight or encouraged to become suicide bombers.

Some combat experts believe that the female suicide bombers are brainwashed; others believe that they are unaware and that the devices are remotely detonated.

READ ALSO:  Cameroonian minister says 162 Boko Haram fighters are dead

Interviews last week with a girl estimated to be in her late teens, who decided not to detonate her device at a camp for displaced people near Maiduguri, indicated that she and two fellow bombers were aware of the consequences of their actions, local government officials said.

The girl threw her explosives in the bush after she recognized her parents among the camp’s inhabitants she had intended to blow up.

The other girls exploded their devices, killing and injuring dozens.

Each of the three girls wore their hair pulled away from their faces in a traditional burial style for women, according to the local authorities, signaling that they were prepared to die.

The post Nigerian women freed from Boko Haram rejected at home – New York Times appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read on NAIJ.COM.