Boko Haram in disorder as Nigerian troops advance

The dreaded Boko Haram sect
is cracking as shortages of weapons and fuel foment
tensions between its foot soldiers and leaders, women
rescued from the sect disclosed to journalists.
The army has in the last few weeks freed nearly 700 as it
advances on Boko Haram's last stronghold in the vast
Sambisa forest which abducted an estimated 2,000
women and girls last year as it sought to carve out an
Islamic state in the northeast of Africa's biggest economy.
The militants began complaining to their captives about
lacking guns and ammunition last month, two of the
women said, and many were reduced to carrying sticks
while some of their vehicles were either broken down or
lacked gasoline.
A 45-year old mother of two, Aisha Abbas, who was taken
from Dikwa in April, said the fighters all had guns at first
but recently, only some carried them.
Even the wife of their captors' leader, Adam Bitri, openly
criticized him and subsequently fled, two of the women
said, with one describing Bitri as short and fat with a
beard.
Of 275 freed captives brought to a government-run camp
for internally displaced people in the Malkohi hamlet on
the outskirts of Adamawa state capital, Yola, only 61 were
over 18, and many small children hobbled around visibly
malnourished.
The women said they were kept inside, occasionally
brought food and sometimes beaten severely. The children
were left to run around or do errands for Boko Haram
while those of the fighters were trained to shoot guns.
"One evening in April, Boko Haram followers stood before
us and said 'Our leaders don't want to give us enough
fuel and guns and now the soldiers are encroaching on us
in Sambisa. We will leave you.'" one of the women, 18-
year old Binta Ibrahim from northern Adamawa state said.
"They threatened us but after they went we were happy
and prayed the soldiers would come and save us."