More than 82,000 people are registered missing across Africa, with Nigeria accounting for the most cases. In Maiduguri, Borno state, families continue to hope for the return of loved ones who have disappeared or been kidnapped.

Maiduguri

In northeastern Nigeria, families continue to search for loved ones who disappeared during years of conflict involving Boko Haram. Many, like Kautume Kachalla, have lived for over a decade without news of missing relatives, often children believed to have been abducted by militants. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross reports that 16,000 people remain unaccounted for in the region, with the majority missing from Borno state. While authorities and aid organizations provide support and tracing services, families have formed associations to demand more action and offer each other emotional support. Despite ongoing efforts, the chances of reunification remain uncertain as the conflict endures.

Nigeria's search for the missing

Kautume Kachalla will never forget the day Boko Haram attacked her village. We were at home and at 1.13 a.m. we started hearing gunshots. At first we thought it was a military drill. Later we started hearing people chanting, Allahu Akbar. I picked up my youngest daughter, fled to a nearby river and spent the night there. When she returned from hiding the next day, her husband was dead and three of her six other children missing, all boys. That was 12 years ago. The memory of the 55-year-old mother is sketchy and she finds it hard to talk about what happened. It's been so long since my sons went missing, but I'm always thinking about them. After all the crying I have done for years, I'm yet to see them. Her biggest fear is that Boko Haram kidnapped her eldest sons to recruit them as fighters, a tactic that became common as the militant group launched their insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria in 2009. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, 16,000 people are unaccounted for in the region, 9,000 of them in Brno state. The organisation says many of them were children at the time they went missing. ICRC continues tracing for missing persons all over Nigeria and in other countries. Meanwhile, we provide support to the families with livelihoods, psychosocial support and administrative challenges that they are facing and we keep strengthening the network so the families can represent themselves. But this is not enough. We also need support from the authorities. The authorities say they are doing what they can. The Brno state government is doing a lot in terms of reuniting found lost children with their parents or guardians. In addition to that, the government is also keeping track of those that are yet to be found. She says a data centre has been set up for missing people across the state. We were unable to get a number for forced disappearances specifically. That's not good enough for the families who are searching for lost relatives. In Brno's state capital, Maduguri, hundreds of families have formed an association to demand more action from the government and offer each other emotional support. Gathering here gives us a little peace of mind. We remember our loved ones that are missing and it feels as if they were here with us. After more than a decade of conflict, this region of northeastern Nigeria has the highest number of missing persons in the country. Thousands of families who are missing loved ones struggle to cope with loss and are unable to get closure. But with the support they get here, they haven't given up hope of being reunited. The same goes for Kautume. She has a message for her sons. I am telling you that I have not lost hope. I am still alive, so come back to me. If you can hear me, please come home. The families here know that the chances of reunification are small amid the ongoing conflict in their home country, and they worry that the more time passes, the slimmer the chances of finding their loved ones.

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