Award-worthy for sure. For the vast majority of us who read this stunning piece of journalism that allows us to walk in the sandals of the boys of Baga, to witness horrors through their eyes, and, stunningly, to manage to hold onto their memory of another life: Do we have any complaint about anything today?
2
I am so struck by how these boys managed to survive. I am struck by how brilliant the psychological defense of dissociation is.
I am struck by the fact that the story starts as a resistance to corruption. I am amazed at Mustapha, who was a wise leader in a horrible situation. Maybe one day he will lead Nigeria.
I am struck by the fact that the story starts as a resistance to corruption. I am amazed at Mustapha, who was a wise leader in a horrible situation. Maybe one day he will lead Nigeria.
5
Many who read this may not believe in the power of prayer, but I feel that praying is all I can do for these boys, their families, and their country, Nigeria. I am deeply moved.
3
Thank you for highlighting the plight of many such boys being forced into bolo haram. I was teary eyed as I read through this. Your writing is deeply moving and exceptional.
4
Thank you New York Times and Sarah Topol. An excellent and very informative piece. Hopefully, the boy soldiers will be able to live the rest of their lives in some sort of peace and contentment....but I keep thinking about the after effects, and the fact that they could not or would not be able to share their awful experiences with anyone. So sad, it makes me want to weep.
5
It was so hard to read this story. The word barbarians does not even come close. What kind of society or religious movement worships death and slaughter including their own children? These boys were brain washed to kill and abuse fellow humans. What kind of old men train young boys to do this? I am not sure anyone knows the answer to this.
5
if you look at the drinking age 21 as an adult ,then we too have child soldiers with 18 year olds in our armed forces
4
My Prayers and Heart go out to these boys and their families. I shall pray that someday they find Peace within themselves and A decent life filled with Love and companionship rather than one filled with HATE!
Thanks you for all the hard and difficult work and time you put into these boys and in teaching the world the truth!
Thanks you for all the hard and difficult work and time you put into these boys and in teaching the world the truth!
1
Thank you for publishing this incredible story. Please publish more stories and articles like this. I got a better sense of their suffering and of the horrors they endured than the typical news reported about Boko Haram abductees. I gasped and cried when I read Fannami's ending because his ordeal ached my heart the most. Yet there are so many boys and girls in Boko Haram still living in that hell. While I was captivated by the storytelling, I had to remind myself this isn't fiction and it's still happening! I read this article in my comfy apartment and just feel so appreciative to be safe and free. What can we do? I want to help these children!
10
How grateful we are in the Western World for compulsory education and how it sets us free.
Thank you for such an in depth article about another form of child exploitation and abuse.
Thank you for such an in depth article about another form of child exploitation and abuse.
7
It is a harrowing but necessary read. And the antidote to these horrors is clear: education. Yes, Western educatio: science, technology, critical thinking. Cultural imperialism? Good. If your culture includes washing your hands in blood and beheading your own children, it does not deserve to survive. First, let's hope that the Nigerian army manages to kill each one of these insurgents; second, let's insist that the Nigerian government builds a secular school (not a madrassa) in each one of these villages and forces boys and girls to attend. If anything stands out from the stories of these teenagers is that they actually want to study, want to learn, want to be part of the global world. Everything you need to know about "Boko Haram" is contained in their name: education is taboo (the meaning of haram in Arabic). So let's break the taboo.
7
Heartbreaking article. The violence these boys were forced to commit was unspeakably wicked, but it was always the brief reversions back to the innocent life of a young boy that moved me the most. Such as when the boy dreamed of his mother washing him and taking care of him, or when he had to climb a tree and cry. A truly astonishing piece of journalism.
7
I read this and want to cry for these forgotten boys. Beyond tragic horror.
3
This breaks my heart. How can we help?
1
Nigeria is a wonderful place isn't it. It is interesting that this depraved movement started with legitimate aims of addressing the rampant corruption and inequality that are the root causes of most extremism around the world. Nigeria has huge oil wealth and the people get no benefit from it. As our illustrious president would say, sad.
3
[Gentlepersons, I have noted a couple infelicities in the earlier draft of my comment, already submitted. Please accept this one instead. Thank you, JBS]
I have derived so many insights from Sarah Topol’s extraordinary work of imaginative journalism, imaginative because it provides us access to the inner lives of children as far removed as can be imagined from our own. With great care, but at times almost incidentally, it paints a detailed picture of pitiless violence on a mass scale, and of the stupidity and fecklessness of the Nigerian military, which seems only capable of revictimizing the civilian population that has already suffered so much at the hands of Boko Haram, thus helping to insure the latter’s survival. At the same time, it is almost ethnographic in its description of the boy’s lives.
The most remarkable revelation for me is the survival of the human spirit in these boys despite the chilling means by which Boko Haram indoctrinates them in its nihilist project. The portrait of Mustapha is indelible, almost Shakespearian in quality.
The only recent work addressing the dark side of human nature that I can compare for its insight and impact is Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary film, The Act of Killing. Thank you.
I have derived so many insights from Sarah Topol’s extraordinary work of imaginative journalism, imaginative because it provides us access to the inner lives of children as far removed as can be imagined from our own. With great care, but at times almost incidentally, it paints a detailed picture of pitiless violence on a mass scale, and of the stupidity and fecklessness of the Nigerian military, which seems only capable of revictimizing the civilian population that has already suffered so much at the hands of Boko Haram, thus helping to insure the latter’s survival. At the same time, it is almost ethnographic in its description of the boy’s lives.
The most remarkable revelation for me is the survival of the human spirit in these boys despite the chilling means by which Boko Haram indoctrinates them in its nihilist project. The portrait of Mustapha is indelible, almost Shakespearian in quality.
The only recent work addressing the dark side of human nature that I can compare for its insight and impact is Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary film, The Act of Killing. Thank you.
3
This article is very informative and thought provoking. As I read it. I was hoping it was fiction. Alas, I do not think it is fiction. It has given me a whole new perspective on the issues surrounding young soldiers and abducted girls. These young people are so strong to survive. Very good read...
3
I have derived so many insights from Sarah Topol’s extraordinary work of imaginative journalism, imaginative because it provides us access to the inner lives of children as far removed as can be imagined from our lives. With great care, but at times almost incidentally, it paints a detailed picture of pitiless violence on a mass scale, and of the stupidity and fecklessness of the Nigerian military, which seems only capable of revictimizing the civilian population that has already suffered so much at the hands of Boko Haram, thus helping to insure the latter’s survival. At the same time, it is almost ethnographic in its description of the boys lives.
The most remarkable revelation for me is the survival of the human spirit in these boys despite the chilling means by which Boko Haram indoctrinates them in its nihilist project. The portrait of Mustapha is indelible, almost Shakespearian in quality.
The only recent work addressing the dark side of human nature that I can compare for its insight and impact is Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary film, The Act of Killing. Thank you.
The most remarkable revelation for me is the survival of the human spirit in these boys despite the chilling means by which Boko Haram indoctrinates them in its nihilist project. The portrait of Mustapha is indelible, almost Shakespearian in quality.
The only recent work addressing the dark side of human nature that I can compare for its insight and impact is Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary film, The Act of Killing. Thank you.
2
A devastating story. And it is so shocking to read that the Nigerian government punishes its own people by burning villages after a Boko Haram attack. They are a big part of the problem and no doubt part of the reason why this group can flourish.
3
I add my thanks to NYT and Sarah Topol for writing and publishing this story. I work with refugees and this story rings true. We need to speak out more about these things.
4
I am moved by this article, and saddened by these stories of helplessness, unfathomable predicaments, perseverance and survival; happening in the modern era. How do we stop this? it seems both insurgents and govt military are to blame - and innocent bystanders are swept up in the conflict. disheartening.
6
As the mother of a teenaged boy, I was particularly moved by this story, and sickened by the depravity of Boko Haram leaders. Thank you for publishing such a vivid and evocative piece. It has already generated discussion in our home, and I am grateful to be educated in this way, and to share this stark bit of modern reality with my son.
12
Indeed, yes. For, as G Santayana warned us,
"Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it",
"Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it",
2
Its a very good article which brings out the helplessness of the abducted children and brings into perspective that boko haram cannot be tackled only with violence along with that the economic condition of that region has to be improved but sadly that seems to be a long way off.
6
What a magnificent piece. Writing of this caliber transcends and transforms the act of journalism and becomes artistry ~as deeply moving as it is informative. Heart strong & mind strong & completely unforgettable. It reads like a treatment for a Motion Picture. I was captivated & deeply moved. Thank you.
9
Simply this....the reason I find to continue subscribing to the NYT! Compelling journalism. Thank you.
12
Probably the most vivid piece of journalism I have ever seen. It sheds a stark light on the tragedy of these boys and girls - as equally victimized as as those in the villages destroyed. They did what they had to to survive and have to live with the horrors of what they have witnessed and forced to perform. The article passes no judgement which I am appreciative of.
This article will stay with em a long time
This article will stay with em a long time
10
I read this tragic story while sitting in my air conditioned home before my computer. I had a cup of coffee, a comfortable chair and a roof over my head. I am far from wealthy but I have a life of safety and comfort.
All of our lives consist of peaks and lows. Seeing the world as it is today is to witness a low. Unfortunately, our low in America is being written as I sit here. These boy soldiers are still living theirs even though they are now free.
Life doesn't have to be this way but nothing will change. How terribly, terribly sad.
All of our lives consist of peaks and lows. Seeing the world as it is today is to witness a low. Unfortunately, our low in America is being written as I sit here. These boy soldiers are still living theirs even though they are now free.
Life doesn't have to be this way but nothing will change. How terribly, terribly sad.
11
Incredible photographs by Glenna Gordon.
3
This story should be rated "H", for a hard read… It is.
5
I couldn't stop reading. This is a example of journalism at its best. Thank you for telling their stories.
4
Besides the horror of these stories, the random and unimaginable cruelty inflicted on and by these boys, I found myself wondering how Boko Haram and other terrorist groups like ISIS make decisions about how to mythologize themselves and manufacture the symbolism of their groups: who came up with the idea to have a ceremonial special table with a neck hole to kill infants? Why at one month old? How did it become a “tradition” to use a certain knife described in detail especially for this purpose?
What astounds me about this story is the details of how Boko Haram clearly worked to create the false idea of a “culture” with its own supposed traditions, rituals, laws, and social hierarchies, just like in authentic cultures. Bathing hands in buckets of human blood after battle? What I want to know is, where did this playbook come from? Did some leaders sit around like creative ad execs and brainstorm the best strategies to psychologically manipulate innocent kids into becoming killing machines? Was manufacturing a parallel “culture” to go along with their ideology part of the tactics or a natural byproduct? Who came up with this stuff, and how are they experts in human cultural history? It is obvious that Boko Haram craves some sort of legitimacy of outlaws if they are making the effort to create murderous “ceremonies” from scratch. It may sound irrelevant to think about, but it may also be the key to understanding—and ultimately dismantling—entrenched terrorist groups.
What astounds me about this story is the details of how Boko Haram clearly worked to create the false idea of a “culture” with its own supposed traditions, rituals, laws, and social hierarchies, just like in authentic cultures. Bathing hands in buckets of human blood after battle? What I want to know is, where did this playbook come from? Did some leaders sit around like creative ad execs and brainstorm the best strategies to psychologically manipulate innocent kids into becoming killing machines? Was manufacturing a parallel “culture” to go along with their ideology part of the tactics or a natural byproduct? Who came up with this stuff, and how are they experts in human cultural history? It is obvious that Boko Haram craves some sort of legitimacy of outlaws if they are making the effort to create murderous “ceremonies” from scratch. It may sound irrelevant to think about, but it may also be the key to understanding—and ultimately dismantling—entrenched terrorist groups.
18
Thank you for this article, it has touched my heart.
4
When I saw the title of this article on the train this morning, I had to force myself to read it. I knew that I would learn about the inexplicable horrors these boys went through, and it was even worse than I expected. I read it because it is important to acknowledge what they went through, and by doing so, recognize their humanity, their individuality. A small thing, I know, but the most I can do as someone who is fortunate enough not to have gone through what they did.
46
Riveting. Frightening. Could not stop reading.
13
Thank you for telling their story. The things these children have had to do just to survive. They will be haunted by these memories for the rest of their lives.
14
In many ways, these boys are as much a victim as the girls who were taken. They were demoralized and brainwashed and now have to live with what they have done and they are not even men but still teenagers. It is so sad for them, the families who prayed for their return and a society that will judge them. The world can be such a cruel place and I hope all find peace as time goes on.
20
I didn't want to read this article. I didn't want to know. Too much bad news in the world. Yet I did look at it, and once I was in I was in to the end. This is more than reporting, this is literature in the best sense of the world. I now have an understanding of child soldiers I wouldn't have had before. I live in Mexico where children are also kidnapped and coerced to joint the narco bands. Reading this article I feel a glimmer of hope for the children who manage to escape in Nigeria or in Mexico. En fin, I nominate this article for the Pulitzer Prize and suggest it be required reading in every high school everywhere.
54
These young boys, old before their time, are known as 'The Toy Soldiers' and many of their stories are buried. Witnesses with their accounts are few. In 'A Long Way Gone', Ismael Beah remembers how he was going to a concert with friends when he was 13, never to see his parents again, only to be picked up by the government army in Sierra Leone, and at heart a gentle boy, found he was capable of truly terrible acts.
Who saved him? Should we care and how can the World help? According to the latest report from UNICEF, the International Children's Fund, there are 2.5 Million vulnerable children walking this Earth.
Who saved him? Should we care and how can the World help? According to the latest report from UNICEF, the International Children's Fund, there are 2.5 Million vulnerable children walking this Earth.
18
It is critical to remember that the vast majority of us a capable of truly terrible acts if we are so forced in order to survive. War makes people into animals. Civilians and soldiers.
How do people live with such horror?
Saudi Arabia has promoted terrorism all over Africa. Americans should realize that the latest arms deal that their president celebrated by dancing with his Saudi friends will put more guns in the hands of children and destroy more lives.
Just like the boys who washed their hands in the blood of murdered babies, there is blood on Donald Trump's (and America's') hands.
Saudi Arabia has promoted terrorism all over Africa. Americans should realize that the latest arms deal that their president celebrated by dancing with his Saudi friends will put more guns in the hands of children and destroy more lives.
Just like the boys who washed their hands in the blood of murdered babies, there is blood on Donald Trump's (and America's') hands.
18
Very thankful for the journalist who was brave enough to listen to these tales of horror and thankful to the children brave enough to tell them.
22
This was a wrenching and chilling, but such an important, read. The courage and grains of humanity that prevailed in these boys to unearth themselves from the deep psychological rewiring that turned them into instruments of war...This article also shows that Boko Haram, ISIS, Taliban - these are not about religion. They are no different from the Nazis, when the most inhumane people find a place of leadership and power, using violence and perverted psychological tools to recruit. The more we conflate these groups with Islam, the further we get from ending them.
11
This was the absolute best story I have read in years. I felt every word and my heart broke for each one of these children. They had no choice, they stayed alive but are forever damaged. How can we allow this to happen?
18
This is an outstanding piece, plain and simple. The gutwrenching circumstances these young people are subjected to is unthinkable. Beyond that, their ability to acclimate to normal society after the fact is an amazing example of their emotional fortitude.
13
Wow. So beautifully written. Thank you NYT and author Sarah Topol for this magnificent piece. Pulitzer worthy!
11
Thank you for your article....just in case we should ever question the existence of evil in this world.
11
Unthinkable atrocities all-around and thank you for interviewing so many of these child victims who are forced into becoming soldiers and then treated as enemies when they finally escape. This article shook me to the bone. Thank you to the writer for shedding light on this abuse.
17
The horror, the horror, who could imagine things so stomach wrenching in death so manufactured?
5
We tend to think of simple village life as idyllic. Stories such as these demonstrate otherwise. It is the age-old human behavior where the strong prey on the weak. I wish these children happiness in their futures, no matter how fleeting.
11
This kind of reporting is why my wife and I are NYT subscribers. Who else would cover a story like this one.
86
Thank you for this insightful piece. The horrors that these young men, date I say boys, went through can never be erased from their memories but now that their story has been told, other boys may be saved from suffering the same fate.
8
How incredibly sad. Those poor children. Their innocence completely taken from them. Forced to do the most Inhumane things imaginable. How they survive I have no idea. Slaughtering newborn babies, my heart breaks......
18
This is why The NY Times and journalism is so important. A horrific episode in humanity, repeating itself once again. The writing is gripping. Now we shall all have bad dreams thinking about the accounts of these poor boys and the other innocent people brutalized. Incredible writing.
33
Exceptional writing...deserves a Pulitzer. Thanks. Just goes to show, we must pray for every soul.
14
The use of free indirect discourse in this article is its strength, in that the writer gives us a remarkable window into the perspective of the boy soldiers through their particular language. At the same time, the use of free indirect discourse is ethically slippery, in that the writer uncritically reproduces language like "friending" the kidnapped women. It is up to the reader to recognize the tension: to "friend" the women is to rape them. But again, this is the power of the writer's technique: the horror resides in the disjunct between wording and meaning, and also in the flat affect of the wording with which these children express the nightmare hell they lived.
30
What is so mind boggling to me is that these horrors are just a repeat of the same horrors that re occur generation after generation. Some how people find a way to rationalize the extraordinary brutalization of other people. How does that happen? How do you get to the point that butchering and brutalizing children is OK? Cambodia, Germany, Armenia, Chechnya, US slavery and devastation of native americans, Sudan, over and over and over again thru time some corner of humanity descends into butchery. I know so many people who are inherently good. So where does this horror come from? How do we descend to it? I know people must study this. To root it out we must really look at from what part of human nature it comes.
Practice compassion in everyday life. I keep trying to remember that.
Practice compassion in everyday life. I keep trying to remember that.
33
Their incredible resilience is beyond my comprehension. I cannot imagine surviving mentally what they experienced, even after my four deployments into a war zone.
35
Thank you very much for this insightful story.
You write really well. Really brilliant Expose. I'm Nigerian and even I didn't have this depth of insight into the Boko Haram issue. Thanks again.
You write really well. Really brilliant Expose. I'm Nigerian and even I didn't have this depth of insight into the Boko Haram issue. Thanks again.
49
Thank you for validating this by acknowledging it as a Nigerian. I hope we hear from other Nigerians and those from the African continent. Often these responses add further dimension to the already excellent reporting of the NYT.
1
We have serious problems right here in the US, including a madman in
the White House.
Let Nigeria solve its own problems.
the White House.
Let Nigeria solve its own problems.
3
To "charles:"
When we practice compassion we all grow stronger from it. Just because we are troubled does not mean we can't open our hearts to other peoples suffering.
When we practice compassion we all grow stronger from it. Just because we are troubled does not mean we can't open our hearts to other peoples suffering.
50
Just listen. Nobody is asking you to solve their problems. Their stories must be told.
3
Charles: chilling comment.
It's troubling and difficult for me to read this heartwrenching story of control, murder, poverty, and human misery, and contrast it with the casual everyday wealth of goods and services we so callously see every day in the US. It reminds me in a way, of water - how do you transport something like that thousands of miles. I'm expressing myself badly, but briefly it's seems like even if we were all motivated to stop Boko Harem, the question would be, How to do it in that far away place.
11
Thank you for sharing these stories. I cannot but help and think of Eli Wisel: "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." Thank you for giving these boys their voices .....
84
Your longer pieces are always interesting. Most moved by this piece, however. Such good work.
9
Thank you for the work you do. Thank you for this story.
22
Gripping story. Sadly Boko Haram is another outshoot of Islam, a vile ideology driven by violence and mayhem, as yesterday's terrorist attempt in my hometown exemplified.
8
Read "A Small Corner of Hell" about genocide of Muslims in Chechnya by the Russians. Alleviate your ignorance.
13
It's less about a particular religion than it is about man's inhumanity to man. Superstitious zealotry, bigotry and xenophobia are only some of the reasons how and why criminals like Boko Haram, God's Army, the Lord's Resistance Army and Tim McVeigh are created. (you should look up the atrocities by christian groups)
Boko Haram has as much in common with Islam as the Lord's Resistance Army does with Christianity.
11
Peaceful lives upended by man's seemingly boundless capacity for selfishness and cruelty. Perhaps those who blame the victims for all manners of their tragedies might reconsider their position after reading this.
5
What a heartbreaking and powerful story. Thank you for covering this.
10
Thank you for this article. Just a year ago, the lives of men and boys under Boko Harem didn't matter. How times have changed.
15
The World Court must enforce Individual Human Rights. I suspect whole countries who cannot manage a MainStream lifestyle for its citizens, will in the Future, be controlled by The World Court.
Thank you for covering this difficult story. My heart breaks for them. I only wish somehow they could find support to make peace with the psychological horrors they've witnessed. I feel so far away, and so helpless.
45
Wow. What an offering, to tell the world the story of these children who have suffered so profoundly to survive.
This was painful to read, and riveting. Their stories will haunt me for days. What to do with these mental images and horrors, such horrors? Baring witness, honoring and respecting the human will to survive and the grace of spirit to endure!
May the United States (and the global community) soon find its way to supporting the work of sustaining and aiding those forced through the hell of such terror. Boko Harram, with its armies of _traumatized_slaves, orphans, victims, children- is a problem worthy of greater consideration and attention. Wow.
How can the world guard against the nightmare of sociopathic collective action, of terrorism on this scale? How can we support the survivors to heal ?
This was painful to read, and riveting. Their stories will haunt me for days. What to do with these mental images and horrors, such horrors? Baring witness, honoring and respecting the human will to survive and the grace of spirit to endure!
May the United States (and the global community) soon find its way to supporting the work of sustaining and aiding those forced through the hell of such terror. Boko Harram, with its armies of _traumatized_slaves, orphans, victims, children- is a problem worthy of greater consideration and attention. Wow.
How can the world guard against the nightmare of sociopathic collective action, of terrorism on this scale? How can we support the survivors to heal ?
61
It's about time we hear of the horrors being inflicted on boys.
10,000.
10,000.
44
This article's title suddenly struck my mind out of curiosity. I wonder how those boys manage to survive in a hopeless situation, as they were less fortunate children than those children living in metropolis. As for the people who are fortunate, we must believe in power of prayer to be thankful that you are fortunate and for the boys that are in need.
In my opinion,they key word in this article would be education, sadly these kids whom are brainwashed lacks education as they were forced to commit violence towards people. It would be up to the Nigerian government to corporate with International organizations such as UNICEF to promote educations over the region.