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Far North Cameroon - IDP site Zamai

Far North Cameroon - IDP site Zamai

Name (Grandmother): Tongushi Mokoyu 60yo
She has 7 children and 7 grandchildren
Granddaughter's name: Anat Tutukwaye, 20yo

8 years ago, Boko Haram attacked their village and kidnapped Tongushi along with her grandchildren to Nigeria. Her other children managed to escape the same fate. They were captured for 2 years and were all kept in houses in a village in Nigeria and weren't allowed outside during the day. They would be beaten if they were found outdoors. It was only by night that they were allowed out to collect water. However they would always first be blindfolded so they couldn't see where they were going and hence didn't have the means to escape. The armed groups would used to threaten them with guns, including little Anat, who had gusn pointed to her head often.

One night, at midnight, Tongushi took her grandchildren and tried to escape. She thought that even if she was found and beaten to death, she had to try and escape. She managed to get to the Nigerian-Cameroonian border where they were saved by a vigilante group whose role was to spot any Boko Haram groups attempting to come through the border.

Tongushi hasn't seen most of her children again. However she managed to reconcile with the parents of her two younger grandchildren. Anat hasn't seen her parents again.