Audio By Carbonatix
About 80 children rescued from a Boko Haram camp in Cameroon cannot remember their own names or origins, according to an aid official who visited them.
The children - aged between 5 and 18 - did not speak English, French or any local languages, says Christopher Fomunyoh, a director for the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI).
The children were found at a camp in northern Cameroon in November.
Nigeria-based Boko Haram militants have extended their campaign into Cameroon.
The militants are fighting to establish an Islamic caliphate in north-eastern Nigeria.
They control several towns and villages in the region and recently pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) militants, who have seized large areas of Syria and Iraq.
'Lost touch'
The children were rescued in Cameroon after security forces - acting on a tip-off - raided what was thought to have been a Koranic school.
Mr Fomunyoh told the BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah in Yaounde that he had visited an orphanage that was helping rehabilitate the children.
He said the children had spent so long with their captors, being indoctrinated in jihadist ideology, that they had lost track of who they were.
"They've lost touch with their parents," he said. "They've lost touch with people in their villages, they're not able to articulate, to help trace their relationships, they can't even tell you what their names are."
Meanwhile, a suspected Boko Haram attack on Tuesday killed at least six people at a marketplace in the northern Nigerian town of Maiduguri.
The suicide bombing was reportedly carried out by a middle-aged woman
Latest Stories
-
New research suggests a better way to fight littering in Ghana
35 seconds -
We must protect our own – Adutwum spokesperson calls for Ashanti solidarity
23 minutes -
FDA shuts down 7 Foreign shops in Kumasi over unapproved, foreign-labelled products
31 minutes -
13 arrested as Central East Police crack down on crime in Senya Beraku enclave
37 minutes -
Kumasi residents raise alarm over poor street lighting ahead of Christmas
1 hour -
Police swoop in Kintampo nabs 13 in drug bust, seizes cannabis and tramadol
1 hour -
Activist urges stronger border security, environmental protection, and accountability
1 hour -
Let’s be more intentional about our unity than they were about our division – Mahama to diaspora
2 hours -
Former Jasikan MCE quits as Bryan Acheampong’s coordinator; declares support for Bawumia
2 hours -
2025 Diaspora Summit: Ablakwa calls for concrete action on reparations
2 hours -
Police crack down on drug trafficking in Tamale, arrest 4 and seize illicit substances
2 hours -
Egg-citing deals as The Multimedia Group’s X’mas Egg Market sells out on Day 1, returns tomorrow
3 hours -
NPP Primaries: Electoral Area Coordinators in Yunyoo, Chereponi and Saboba declare support for Bawumia
3 hours -
Revocation of L.I. 2462 step in the right direction – Lands Ministry Spokesperson
4 hours -
Afeku urges creation of world-class hospitality training school in Volta Region
4 hours
