Government soldiers remained in the Am Dam area for six days, during which time the nearby hamlet of Mashangala was systematically looted valuables. In the early evening of May 7, government soldiers descended upon Galbassa under the pretense of searching for rebels and sexually assaulted two sisters, a 19-year-old woman and a 14-year-old girl. The women of Galbassa evacuated the village the following morning for the nearby towns of Gasdjamoudes and Habanier and did not return until after government forces withdrew from the area.