Nigeria’s ex-Boko Haram fighters threaten return to arms

Former Boko Haram militants in Nigeria have warned they might return to fighting if they don’t get more support from the authorities.

The ex-fighters, who now live in camps in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria, say they are frustrated that for months their essential needs had been ignored.

Some told DW that they were better off fighting for the militant group than living in the camps.

“Honestly, if the government does not fulfill what they promised us, there is going to be a serious problem,” one of the former insurgents told DW. “Look at how I lost weight and lost my shape. Sincerely speaking, I prefer going [back] to the bush.”

The Borno state and Nigeria’s federal government promised Boko Haram fighters who surrendered that they would receive training and skills as an alternative to violence and militancy. The Nigerian authorities also pledged to provide start-off capital for the ex-fighters and reintegrate them into society if they laid down their arms.

Read more: Deutsche Welle