Bring Back Our Girls
Courtesy of Yahoo Images
On April 15, 276 school girls were kidnapped in Northern Nigeria by an Islamic militant group known as Boko Haram. The group, whose name means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language, stormed the Chibok Government Secondary School, took the girls from their beds and forced them into trucks. Although the official number of missing girls has fluctuated over the past few weeks, it is reported that 53 of the girls managed to escape. The remaining 223 victims are believed to be held in the Sambisa Forest.
The school is located in the southern Borno state of Nigeria, a primarily Christian community. Although a majority of the 15 to 18 year old girls are Christian, quite a few are Muslim as well.
The Boko Haram is believed to be associated with Al-Queda and has killed thousands of people who they felt were engaged in “un-Islamic” behavior. On Monday, May 5, the leader of the Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, released a video of himself saying that he had the girls and he had plans to sell them into sex-slavery and marriage.
“There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women,” he said.
On Monday, May 12, the French AFP news agency came into possession of another video from the militant leader, this time offering up the abducted girls in exchange for imprisoned members of his militant group. The video shows 150 girls alive gathered in an outdoor area. Some can be seen chanting the Koran.
Currently Nigerian officials are discussing the release of the prisoners with leaders of the Boko Haran. However it is reported that President Goodluck Jonathan is refusing to release the requested militant members. As of right now the United States government has sent surveillance planes to the Nigerian border to assist in the search. Nigerian military members were sent to the border as well, but have yet to enter the Sambisa forest. The United Kingdom, France, China and Israel have also lent a hand in the area of satellite imagery.
People around the world have taken to social media with the slogan #BringBackOurGirls. I encourage you to do so as well. Join the fight. Spread the word.
All Courtesy of Yahoo Images
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/05/world/africa/nigeria-abducted-girls/index.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27348354
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/opinion/sunday/kristof-bring-back-our-girls.html?_r=0
http://news.yahoo.com/know-now-kidnapped-nigerian-girls-161205312–abc-news-topstories.html;_ylt=A0LEVw6lh3lTPDcA1dRXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0ZDFnMjIwBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDQxOV8x