The Malkohi Camp in Yola, Adamawa State, in north-eastern Nigeria, is home to the 275 women and children who were recently rescued from the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram.
Prior to their rescue, the camp was home to about 845 internally displaced persons. With the arrival of the recently rescued women and children, the camp now houses more than 1,000 people.
On the surface, it seems that normal life has resumed for many of the camp's residents. Joyful tales of reunions with families and loved ones are sometimes shared among the women and girls, such as Hauwa, an adolescent who was reunited with her parents after seven months in captivity.
Hafsat, a 26-year-old and mother of three, recounts her story from the day she was captured. She said: "When gunmen came to my village 11 months ago, killing everyone in sight, I thought I could escape. But I was wrong." She went on to explain that she was abducted in Yaza, in Borno State.
She said the day of her abduction was the last time she saw her two sons, Bawa and Mohammed, eight and six-years-old, respectively. She was left to care alone for her third son, two-year-old Ismail.
She said many other women were separated from their children as well: "When the shooting stopped, we were all led like animals into the forest. I saw babies die and watched in pain as children were asked to bury them.
"In Sambisa Forest, I was asked to renounce my religion or be treated as a slave. I refused, and I was flogged daily. I did the chores and was given maize and guinea-corn peels to eat. At that time, it meant a lot because some days I had nothing to eat."
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