Women say they cannot let their fear of insurgent attacks overwhelm them because, if they do not collect and sell firewood, they will starve – but they know that every day they go into the bushes it could be their last.
When you’re starving, not even the threat of being kidnapped or murdered will stop you from going into the bushes and forests to collect firewood – because that’s the only means you have to make money and get food.
Displaced women who live in a community camp in Gajiganna – a border town between Nigeria and Niger in the Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno State – told RNI that hunger beats any threat, even kidnapping and murder.
The area is rich in oil but all drilling stopped many years ago because of deadly attacks by the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), more commonly referred to as Boko Haram.
Maryam Zanna, a displaced woman who relies on collecting firewood for cooking and to sell, told RNI that even though relative peace had been restored, insurgents still posed a major threat.
“They live in nearby forests. They are dangerous. They prowl around and, if they find you, they will most likely kill you.
“Every day we go into the bushes to collect wood we know it could be the last. Many displaced men, women and children have been attacked here. Some were held for ransom. Some were murdered on the spot. Some were wounded.
“People ask us why we continue to go out to collect wood. The answer is simple. We don’t have a choice. If we cannot sell firewood, we will starve. We do not have any other means of earning money.
“When you’re hungry, you will do just about anything to survive. We can’t just sit around idly watching our children starve to death.”
Maryam said often when the women were out in the bushes they heard gunshots in the distance.
“Then we know the insurgents are coming and we start running. We even leave our firewood behind. We just want to escape.
“Often, it’s only the lucky ones who escape. When women are kidnapped, displaced people from the camp search for hours for them. Sometimes it takes days before they return. It is extremely frightening.”
But, said Maryam, women could not allow their fear to stop them from going into the bushes.
“Of course we are fearful. But we are starving and we can’t allow our fear to overwhelm us. If we don’t get wood to sell, we won’t have anything to eat.
“Initially, the government used to help us by providing humanitarian aid, including food, but that has stopped. If we don’t look after ourselves, no one else will.”
Another displaced woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told RNI that in the past the government had delivered relief items to people in the camp.
“But for a long time now we have not received any help from the government. Very occasionally a non-governmental organisation comes with food and other essentials. But we can’t rely on them.
“And we can’t farm. Boko Haram has warned us that if they catch us farming they will kill us. I know of at least 20 people who have been murdered on their farms.”
She said sometimes the women had to go quite far from the camp to find wood.
“It can take at least two days for us to return. Many of the older children accompany us. By the time we get back to the camp they are dirty, tired and famished.
“Apart from looking for wood, if we find an ant hill we will dig into it to look for crumbs.”
The woman said it was hard for those who had babies and young children.
“Small children cannot go with us and it’s hard because we have to leave them in the camp without any adults to take care of them. Often, when we return, the kids are missing and we have to search for them.”
Ashe Mohammed said life was even more difficult during the holy month of Ramadan.
“We observe the fast from sunrise to sunset. Once we have collected the wood, we have to try to sell it so that we have something to eat when we break the fast. If we don’t manage to sell the wood, we do not have anything to eat. We go to bed with empty bellies.”
AYSHA MUSTAPHA KOLOMI
