Samira is 14, and she looks it. She’s skinny and shy. Occasionally, she zones out of conversations, tilting her head towards the ceiling. Quietly watchful, her rare smiles give the impression she’s just started practicing them again.
For seven months, Samira was locked in a room and raped repeatedly by multiple men. Most of the time the perpetrator was her “husband” — a Boko Haram militant she was forced to marry. When he left for regular fighting missions, Samira fell victim to any other man who wanted to rape or assault her.
When she finally escaped, Samira first ran and then walked nearly 200 miles to Maiduguri. As the city appeared before her days later she realized she had made it and immediately collapsed.
You've reached your daily free article limit.
Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.
Samira is 14, and she looks it. She’s skinny and shy. Occasionally, she zones out of conversations, tilting her head towards the ceiling. Quietly watchful, her rare smiles give the impression she’s just started practicing them again.
For seven months, Samira was locked in a room and raped repeatedly by multiple men. Most of the time the perpetrator was her “husband” — a Boko Haram militant she was forced to marry. When he left for regular fighting missions, Samira fell victim to any other man who wanted to rape or assault her.
When she finally escaped, Samira first ran and then walked nearly 200 miles to Maiduguri. As the city appeared before her days later she realized she had made it and immediately collapsed.
Samira is just one of thousands of women and girls who have been abducted by Boko Haram, officially the deadliest terrorist group in the world and whose attacks have displaced almost 2 million Nigerians and killed tens of thousands more. [The names of victims have been changed to protect their anonymity.]
Read More- Vice News
Image courtesy of BBC
Leadership Under Fire: Recent Dismissals of Two High-Ranking Military Commanders
The Space National Guard: Will It Become a Reality Under Trump?
Taleghan 2 Obliterated: How Israel is Thwarting Iran’s Homegrown Nuclear Threat
How The Air Force Plans to Fly F-22s Into 2060s
F-35 Pilots Describe Aircraft, Weapons, Electronics & Computing
Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.
TRY 14 DAYS FREEAlready a subscriber? Log In
COMMENTS
You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.