A Nigerian schoolgirl who was among a mass hostage-taking by Islamist militants more than two years ago has been found, officials said Wednesday, marking the first of the more than 200 captives to be recovered since shortly after the abduction.
The girl was discovered wandering in a forest area in northeast Nigeria, not far from the village of Chibok, where the students were seized in April 2014 by the group Boko Haram, authorities and relatives said. The militants’ raid drew international outrage and spawned a global campaign for their release.
The end of the teen’s ordeal is likely to raise hopes that others held by Boko Haram could find freedom. But the militants remain a significant force despite widening military campaigns — backed by U.S. drone surveillance — in Nigeria and surrounding countries including Cameroon and Chad.
The Associated Press, quoting one of the girl’s uncles, said 19-year-old Amina Ali Nkeki was found by Nigerian soldiers. The uncle, Yakubu Nkeki, said his niece was pregnant and suffering from “trauma,” but he did not elaborate. Other reports suggested she had already given birth.
She was among 276 girls — mostly aged 16 to 18 — taken captive at their boarding school as they prepared for an exam. At least 219 remained missing after the others managed to escape soon after the abduction.
In April, a video surfaced purporting to show 15 of the kidnapped girls. One of the girls remarked, “We are all well,” and she encouraged the Nigerian government to meet Boko Haram’s demands, which were not stated.
Since the abduction, activists and others have stirred fears that the girls could face abuse or forced marriages with fighters from Boko Haram, which seeks to impose strict Islamic law and rejects Western influence in education and other areas. Boko Haram leaders have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State, but the level of direct coordination is unclear.
A report in April by the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, accused Boko Haram of sharply increasing the use of child suicide bombers — with girls accounting for more than three-quarters of them — in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad. Some of the girls are thought to have been kidnapped by the extremists, but no direct ties have been made with the captives from Chibok.
Lawan Zannah, secretary of the association of parents of the missing Chibok girls, confirmed that the teenager was found, but said the details of her release or escape were not immediately known.
The teen’s father died while she was held captive, her uncle was quoted as saying.
Nigerian forces have been deployed in the Sambisa Forest region carrying out in missions against Boko Haram, which was waged a nearly seven-year insurgency that has claimed more than 20,000 lives.
Nigerian officials have alluded in the past to possible talks. But there have been few clear details about potential contacts to free the girls. Around the world, activists have united on social media behind the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
Although the Nigerian military has dislodged Boko Haram militants from cities and towns, a search-and-rescue operation in the forest is thought to be far more difficult.
In October, the Pentagon announced it was sending up to 300 U.S. troops to Cameroon to establish a drone base to help track Boko Haram fighters.
The U.S. military also flies unarmed drones from Niger to monitor other Islamist factions in the region including Mali, where a group linked to al-Qaeda has waged sporadic attacks on military outposts and Western targets such as international hotels.