‘We were scared’
Ismael and Estebao were captured in Mazeze, their birthplace. Their mother, Maria*, tells Al Jazeera it was not the first time the village was attacked.
Attacks on communities have become common since al-Shabab began operating in the province in 2017, observers note.
“We walked for hours until they took us to a spot in the bush where more armed men and captives were held,” Ismael remembers.
The boys were marched through the bush, unbound, until they reached the rebels’ camp – a remote site they say had no permanent structures.
Upon arrival, an armed man gave the six boys machetes. “Do you know what this is for?” they were asked. “To cut wood and to kill.”
The brothers spent two days as captives deep in the forest with the other boys, witnessing horrific scenes.
“We saw them behead an older woman, a traditional healer, right in front of us,” Ismael says.
“That same night, we talked among ourselves. We were scared, but we knew we had to escape.”
The next morning, they were ordered to gather wood. Two boys stayed behind – but four, including the brothers, managed to flee into the forest. The terrified group reached a safe location before continuing. After a full day, they finally returned to Chiure.
“We don’t know anything about the two [boys] who remained,” Ismael laments.
HRW’s report found that while some abducted children are released, others remain missing. And for those who return, there are few resources to help them reintegrate.