Boko Haram kidnaps another 185 women and children

The Nigerian militant group Boko Haram kidnapped another 185 women and children from a village in the country’s north earlier this week. Before driving off with their captives, the militants gunned down 35 men and set houses alight with firebombs.

News of the attack took a while to trickle out because the militants had previously destroyed telecommunications towers in the area. It took survivors of the attack about four days to walk to the capitol of Borno state and share their stories.

“We lost everything in the attack. I escaped with nothing, save the clothes I have on me,” resident Modu Kalli told CNN.

The village, Gumsuri, is near Chibok, where militants attacked a school and kidnapped nearly 300 female students earlier this year. That attack sparked worldwide outrage and put pressure on the Nigerian government to mount a better opposition to the militants. But the Nigerian military has so far been unsuccessful in repelling their attacks.

Part of the problem is soldiers’ unwillingness to take on the well-trained and well-armed Boko Haram. On Wednesday, a Nigerian court sentenced 54 soldiers to death for refusing to fight. They were charged with mutiny, assault, and cowardice after they ignored orders to recapture three towns taken by Boko Haram in August.

Soldiers often complain they are outgunned by the militants, not paid their full salaries, and expected to fight without adequate ammunition or food.

Vigilantes have taken over the defense of many northern towns, working in some cases with the military to beat back militant advances. But during the Gumsuri attack, Boko Haram fighters easily overpowered the village’s armed guards.

An estimated 1.3 million people have been driven from their homes by militant attacks in Nigeria in the last five years. Some have crossed the border into Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.