“Rann was like a graveyard”

Médecins Sans Frontières nurse Isa Sadiq Bwala is just back from Rann, in northeastern Nigeria, where he went to assess people’s medical needs after the 14 January attack on the town. Most of Rann’s residents have sought safety in Bodo, Cameroon, where an MSF team is providing them with medical care. 

 

 “What struck me when we arrived was the silence. Usually Rann bustles with life, but yesterday it was eerie and quiet, like a graveyard. 

 

Usually kids run around and play, but yesterday the only ones I saw were standing around quietly, looking anxious.

 

The town has been devastated and I was devastated to see it.

 

Many parts of the town have been burnt. There was still smoke drifting in the sky and the fires were still burning in places. 

 

I met a woman who was just back from the burial of her elderly mother, who had died inside her burning home. She burnt to death inside because she couldn’t escape the fire.   

 

MSF’s base, office and pharmacy have been burnt to the ground. All that’s left are piles of ashes. When I arrived, the tent where we store our equipment was still on fire. The buildings of other humanitarian organisations have also been looted and burnt. Luckily, all of our staff from Rann are safe. Several have fled to Cameroon, along with the majority of the population of Rann.