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Boko Haram releases dozens of Chibok schoolgirls, say Nigerian officials Boko Haram releases dozens of Chibok schoolgirls, say Nigerian officials
(about 9 hours later)
Boko Haram militants have released 83 schoolgirls out of a group of more than 200 kidnapped from the north-eastern town of Chibok in April 2014, officials in Nigeria have said. Eighty-two Chibok schoolgirls seized three years ago by Boko Haram have been freed in exchange for detained suspects with the extremist group, Nigeria’s government announced early on Sunday, in the largest release negotiated yet in the battle to save nearly 300 girls whose mass abduction exposed the mounting threat posed by the Islamic State-linked fighters.
An unnamed government minister said 83 girls had been released. The statement from the office of President Muhammadu Buhari was the first confirmation that his government had made a swap for the girls. After an initial release of 21 Chibok girls in October, the government denied making an exchange or paying ransom.
“The girls were released through negotiations with the government,” one official said, adding that an official statement would follow shortly. The April 2014 abduction by Boko Haram brought the extremist group’s rampage in northern Nigeria to world attention and, for families of the schoolgirls, began years marked with heartbreak.
“Huge numbers,” the personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, tweeted late on Saturday. Some relatives did not live long enough to see their daughters released. Many of the captive girls, most of them Christians, were forced to marry their captors and give birth to children in remote forest hideouts without ever knowing if they would see their parents again. It is feared that other girls were strapped with explosives and sent on missions as suicide bombers.
A military source said the girls were currently in Banki near the Cameroon border for medical checks before being airlifted to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. As word of the latest release emerged, long-suffering family members said they were eagerly awaiting a list of names and “our hopes and expectations are high.”Before Saturday’s release, 195 of the girls had remained captive. Now 113 of the girls remain unaccounted for.
Family members said they were eagerly awaiting a list of names and that their “hopes and expectations are high”. The freed girls were expected to meet with Buhari on Sunday in the capital, Abuja.A Nigerian military official with direct knowledge of the rescue operation said the freed girls were found near the town of Banki in Borno state near Cameroon.
The kidnapping was one of the high-profile incidents of Boko Haram’s insurgency, now in its eighth year and with little sign of ending. About 220 girls were abducted from their school in a night-time attack. “The location of the girls kept changing since yesterday when the operation to rescue them commenced,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to make the announcement.
More than 20 girls were released last October in a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Others have escaped or been rescued, but 195 were believed to be still in captivity prior to this release. Boko Haram remains active in that area. On Friday the United States and Britain issued warnings that the extremist group was actively planning to kidnap foreigners in an area of Borno state “along the Kumshe-Banki axis”.
President Buhari said last month that the government was in talks to secure the release of the remaining captives. The 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok in 2014 are among thousands of people abducted by Boko Haram over the years.
The abduction of the schoolgirls led to a series of campaigns calling for their release or rescue. A march on the Nigerian parliament with protesters dressed in red and promoted on Twitter under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls quickly attracted global attention, with Michelle Obama among those offering their support. The mass abduction shocked the world, sparking a global #Bringbackourgirls campaign supported by former US first lady Michelle Obama and other celebrities. It has put tremendous pressure on Nigeria’s government to counter the extremist group, which has roamed large parts of the north and into neighbouring countries.
Although the Chibok girls are the most high-profile case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children, many of whose cases have been neglected. “This is a very, very exciting news for us that we have over 80 of our girls coming back again,” Bukky Shonibare with the #BringBackOurGirls campaign told Sky TV. “Their life in captivity has been one that depicts suffering, it depicts the fact that they have been starved, abused, and as we have seen before some of those girls have come back with children, and some of them have also come back with news of how they have been sexually abused.”
The militants have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during their insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in north-east Nigeria. The latest negotiations were again mediated by the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Nigeria’s government said.
Although the army has retaken much of the territory initially lost to Boko Haram, large parts of the north-east, particularly in Borno state, remain under threat from the militants. Suicide bombings and gun attacks have increased in the region since the end of the rainy season late last year. At the initial release of girls in October, the government said the release of another 83 would be coming soon. But at the three-year anniversary of the kidnapping in April, the government said negotiations had “gone quite far” but faced challenges.Buhari late last year announced Boko Haram had been “crushed,” but the group continues to carry out attacks in northern Nigeria and neighbouring countries. Its insurgency has killed more than 20,000 people and driven millions from their homes, many of whom have faced starvation.
Timeline: Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnappingTimeline: Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping
April 2014 Boko Haram extremists kidnap 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in northern Nigeria, the region where the insurgency emerged several years ago.April 2014 Boko Haram extremists kidnap 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in northern Nigeria, the region where the insurgency emerged several years ago.
November 2014 Extremists seize Chibok and the Nigerian army takes back the town.November 2014 Extremists seize Chibok and the Nigerian army takes back the town.
May 2015 The new president, Muhammadu Buhari, is sworn in, pledging to tackle Boko Haram “head on”.May 2015 The new president, Muhammadu Buhari, is sworn in, pledging to tackle Boko Haram “head on”.
13 April 2016 A Boko Haram video appears to show some of the Chibok girls, and tearful mothers recognise their daughters.13 April 2016 A Boko Haram video appears to show some of the Chibok girls, and tearful mothers recognise their daughters.
18 May, 2016 A relative says one of the Chibok girls is found, pregnant, in a forest; pressure grows on Nigeria’s government to rescue the others.18 May, 2016 A relative says one of the Chibok girls is found, pregnant, in a forest; pressure grows on Nigeria’s government to rescue the others.
14 August 2016 Boko Haram video says some Chibok girls have been killed in airstrikes and demands release of extremists in exchange for the remaining girls’ freedom.14 August 2016 Boko Haram video says some Chibok girls have been killed in airstrikes and demands release of extremists in exchange for the remaining girls’ freedom.
13 October 2016 A spokesman for Nigeria’s president confirms that 21 Chibok girls have been freed, a result of government negotiations with Boko Haram. Nigeria’s government says another 83 girls would be released “very soon”.13 October 2016 A spokesman for Nigeria’s president confirms that 21 Chibok girls have been freed, a result of government negotiations with Boko Haram. Nigeria’s government says another 83 girls would be released “very soon”.
5 November 2016 Military announces the first army rescue of a Chibok girl, during a raid on a forest hideout.5 November 2016 Military announces the first army rescue of a Chibok girl, during a raid on a forest hideout.
24 December 2016 Nigeria’s president declares that Boko Haram has been crushed, driven from its last forest hideout.24 December 2016 Nigeria’s president declares that Boko Haram has been crushed, driven from its last forest hideout.
5 January 2017 Nigeria’s army says soldiers have found one of the schoolgirls wandering in the bush near the forest stronghold.5 January 2017 Nigeria’s army says soldiers have found one of the schoolgirls wandering in the bush near the forest stronghold.
14 April 2017 Nigerians mark three years since the mass abduction.14 April 2017 Nigerians mark three years since the mass abduction.
6 May 2017 A Nigerian official says another 83 schoolgirls have been released.6 May 2017 A Nigerian official says another 83 schoolgirls have been released.