A man from Ghana has told the BBC how he was seized at gunpoint by jihadists in neighbouring Burkina Faso, before being taken to their vast desert camp where he gained a rare insight into their lives - from the children he believed were trained as suicide bombers, to the tunnels they had dug to shield themselves and their armoured tanks from air strikes.
In his first media interview since his 2019 ordeal, the man - whom we are calling James to protect his identity - said his first day at the camp was terrifying as a huge number of Islamist fighters returned from an operation, firing shots in the air. "I thought that was the end.
I was just sweating," James said, adding that he also ended up wetting his pants when some fighters hit him with their guns - and laughed.
James, who is in his 30s and follows a traditional African religion, said the insurgents later attempted to recruit him, enticing him with the allure of power by saying he could one day become the commander of a battalion. "The commander brought out a sack.
