Posts
In the ongoing back and forth between the
Nigerian government and Boko Haram, the
militant terrorist group's leader has denied both a
cease-fire with the government and plans
to release more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls.
Abubakar Shekau, seen in this video from early
October, released a more recent message on
Friday saying the missing schoolgirls have
converted to Islam and have all been married off.
(Video via Sahara TV )
If true, it stands as a complete reversal of
reports from earlier this month that the Nigerian
government was in the process of freeing the
schoolgirls and working on a much-needed cease-
fire with Boko Haram. (Video via CNN )
The validity of the announced cease-fire
was questioned as a possible pre-election publicity
stunt by the government, and further attacks on
villages by Boko Haram cast it into further doubt.
After the release of this latest video, an Al
Jazeera correspondent reporting from Nigeria's
capital says there's a feeling the country is back
at square one in freeing the kidnapped girls.
AHMED IDRIS VIA AL JAZEERA: "The general
feeling here is of anxiety or fear of that sense
that we are back to where we were two weeks
ago."
This isn't the only time military officials and
Boko Haram have offered conflicting reports
either. (Video via BBC)
In September, Cameroonian officials claimed they
had killed Shekau showing a grainy photo as
proof. A month later, he appeared in a video
telling officials he was still alive. (Video via
Euronews)
A recent report by Human Rights Watch revealed
new details on the conditions those kidnapped by
the terrorist group face, including abuse, forced
labor, and forced participation in military
operations. (Video via Human Rights Watch )
No comments