At least 214 young women and girls recently rescued from Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria are pregnant, according to the UN Population Fund.
Nigeria's army freed almost 7,000 women from various Boko Haram camps last week.
UNFPA Nigeria executive director Babatunde Oshotimehin stated that many of the rescued women are undergoing screening for various diseases and infections, including HIV/AIDS.
Background ¶
Boko Haram is known to kidnap young girls to force them to convert to Islam, and then press them into marriage or keep them as slaves.
None of those rescued have been identified as belonging to the more than 200 girls who were kidnapped from a school in the village of Chibok in April 2014.
Recent Developments ¶
Soldiers found an additional 260 women and children on the outskirts of Chalawa village in Adamawa State who had escaped from the terrorists, according to army spokesperson Chris Olukolade.
Most of the rescued individuals come from the nearby town of Madagali and surrounding communities.
Some had been abducted and later fled Boko Haram camps, while others had been on the run since the insurgents attacked Madagali several weeks ago.
