Tens of thousands of voluntary or forced members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa have surrendered over the past 10 years. Nigeria is drawing on transitional justice – a set of mechanisms used to confront legacies of mass violence in the interest of accountability, reconciliation and lasting peace – to help former fighters return to their communities and live alongside victims of the jihadist groups.
A tiny black dot moves across the sky over Bama, in north-eastern Nigeria. The roar of an engine grows louder, drowning out all other sounds in this town some 50 kilometres from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
