About 80 children rescued from a Boko Haram
camp in Cameroon cannot remember their own
names or origins, according to an aid official who
visited them.
The children - aged between 5 and 18 - did not
speak English, French or any local languages,
says Christopher Fomunyoh, a director for the
US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI).
The children were found at a camp in northern
Cameroon in November.
Nigeria-based Boko Haram militants have
extended their campaign into Cameroon.
The militants are fighting to establish an Islamic
caliphate in north-eastern Nigeria.
They control several towns and villages in the
region and recently pledged allegiance to Islamic
State (IS) militants, who have seized large areas
of Syria and Iraq.
'Lost touch'
The children were rescued in Cameroon after
security forces - acting on a tip-off - raided what
was thought to have been a Koranic school.
Mr Fomunyoh told the BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah in
Yaounde that he had visited an orphanage that
was helping rehabilitate the children.
He said the children had spent so long with their
captors, being indoctrinated in jihadist ideology,
that they had lost track of who they were.
"They've lost touch with their parents," he said.
"They've lost touch with people in their villages,
they're not able to articulate, to help trace their
relationships, they can't even tell you what their
names are."
Meanwhile, a suspected Boko Haram attack on
Tuesday killed at least six people at a
marketplace in the northern Nigerian town of
Maiduguri.
The suicide bombing was reportedly carried out
by a middle-aged woman.
line
Boko Haram at a glance
Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing
Western-style education - Boko Haram means
"Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa
language
Launched military operations in 2009 to create
Islamic state
Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria
- has also attacked police and UN headquarters
in capital, Abuja
Abducted hundreds, including at least 200
schoolgirls
Controls several north-eastern towns
Launched attacks on neighbouring states
Boko Haram pledge to IS raises stakes
Why is Boko Haram so strong?
Can regional force beat Islamists?
IS shaping Boko Haram media
camp in Cameroon cannot remember their own
names or origins, according to an aid official who
visited them.
The children - aged between 5 and 18 - did not
speak English, French or any local languages,
says Christopher Fomunyoh, a director for the
US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI).
The children were found at a camp in northern
Cameroon in November.
Nigeria-based Boko Haram militants have
extended their campaign into Cameroon.
The militants are fighting to establish an Islamic
caliphate in north-eastern Nigeria.
They control several towns and villages in the
region and recently pledged allegiance to Islamic
State (IS) militants, who have seized large areas
of Syria and Iraq.
'Lost touch'
The children were rescued in Cameroon after
security forces - acting on a tip-off - raided what
was thought to have been a Koranic school.
Mr Fomunyoh told the BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah in
Yaounde that he had visited an orphanage that
was helping rehabilitate the children.
He said the children had spent so long with their
captors, being indoctrinated in jihadist ideology,
that they had lost track of who they were.
"They've lost touch with their parents," he said.
"They've lost touch with people in their villages,
they're not able to articulate, to help trace their
relationships, they can't even tell you what their
names are."
Meanwhile, a suspected Boko Haram attack on
Tuesday killed at least six people at a
marketplace in the northern Nigerian town of
Maiduguri.
The suicide bombing was reportedly carried out
by a middle-aged woman.
line
Boko Haram at a glance
Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing
Western-style education - Boko Haram means
"Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa
language
Launched military operations in 2009 to create
Islamic state
Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria
- has also attacked police and UN headquarters
in capital, Abuja
Abducted hundreds, including at least 200
schoolgirls
Controls several north-eastern towns
Launched attacks on neighbouring states
Boko Haram pledge to IS raises stakes
Why is Boko Haram so strong?
Can regional force beat Islamists?
IS shaping Boko Haram media
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