Finally.
Three weeks after the horrifying abduction of 276 teenaged schoolgirls from their boarding house in Nigeria — and the release of a chilling video in which their abductors threatened to sell the girls as “slaves” — the world has started paying attention.
The Nigerian police have just offered a 50 million naira ($324,600) reward for information leading to the girls’ rescue — a sign that, after an initially fumbled response, the government may be starting to respond to domestic and international pressure to act.
Several major world powers have joined the search for the missing girls, who were kidnapped by armed Boko Haram Islamists on April 14.
US Secretary of State John Kerry promised help on Saturday, pledging to do “everything possible to support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their homes and to hold the perpetrators to justice”. On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama said a team of military experts has been sent to assist Nigeria’s rescue mission.
Britain has also offered its assistance to the kidnap response with British PM David Cameron condemning the kidnappers as “pure evil” on Wednesday and sending a team of experts to help.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has reportedly pledged assistance, while French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has said a “special team” was at Nigeria’s disposal, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
In Australia, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Tuesday directed her department’s head of counter-terrorism to contact the Nigerian High Commissioner to offer support.
But Labor is urging that the Abbott government to do more, with Shadow foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek urging the government to use our position on the UN Security Council to drive an effective international response.
Today, former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and chair of the Global Partnership for Education tweeted a statement expressing her concern over the abduction — a move that signalled her return to public life.
“My thoughts and heartfelt feelings are with the families of these girls and I hope they will soon be able to embrace their daughters once more,” she tweeted.
“This act of violence against girls who are seeking an education is deplorable and cannot be tolerated. It is the right of every child to get a free universal education and it is all our obligation to ensure that schools are safe places — for students and teachers.”
Coordinator of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign Hadiza Bala Usman said last night that countries, including Australia, need to “put on pressure and sustain it”. As she told 7:30‘s Sarah Ferguson:
“We want countries outside Nigeria, international community to support us and provide technical support, provide support to the military, sustain the pressure and show that these girls are not forgotten. So we call on the international community to put on pressure and sustain it and provide any form of technical support to the Nigerian military.”
On Sunday, President Goodluck Jonathan expressed his willingness to accept help from world powers, including the US.
7:30.“This is a trying time for this country,” he said in his first public comments on the abduction. “It is painful.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Jonathan’s acceptance of West’s assistance suggests an admission he can no longer manage the Islamist uprising without help.
For almost a year, the provinces of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have been under a state of emergency due to relentless assaults blamed on the extremist group, which was declared a terrorist organisation by the US last year.
This week, a new Boko Haram massacre killed hundreds in the town of Gamboru Ngala on the border with Cameroon. During the hours-long attack, gunmen razed buildings and fired on fleeing civilians.
The massacre left around 300 dead, some of whom were burned alive, according to information provided by locals and supported by numerous residents.
Violence by Boko Haram has killed 1,500 in the first three months of 2014 alone, compared with an estimated 3,600 between 2010 and 2013.
Mass protests about government inaction following the abductions have taken place across the world, from Los Angeles to London. Here are some images from the protests:
You can help Bring Back our Girls. Sign the Amnesty petition here and the Change.org petititon here to show your support for the search effort. You can also support the Twitter campaign using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, or donate to Girl Rising’s emergency appeal here.
Top Comments
Closer to home, has Mamamia commented yet on the introduction of Sharia law - stoning gays included - into Brunei today?
yes, we should be concerned about what is happening in Brunei, but not only are terrible things going to happen to gays, terrible things are going to happen to the general population as according to the ABC news
The initial phase starts by introducing fines or jail terms for offences such as indecent behaviour, failure to attend Friday prayers, and pregnancies outside of marriage.
A second phase covering crimes such as theft and robbery is to start later this year, involving more harsh penalties such as chopping off limbs and whipping
Late next year, punishments such as death by stoning for crimes including sodomy and adultery will be started.
The thing that amazes me is that these atrocities take place under Islamic sharia law but people keep telling us it is a religion of peace!!!
http://www.bt.com.bn/frontp...
Brunei is going to be a horrible place to live as even the crime of wearing shorts might get you a 2 year jail sentence, These laws applies to both muslims and non -muslims. Don't think you will get a n abortion in Brunei either, There I a penalty for that too
Does anyone know if there are any protests organised in Australia?
The person being @bringGirlsBack is doing a great job but I think she needs help. Could someone at Mamamia contact her?
You mean, protests aimed at Boko Haram? Um, I don't think that would achieve anything. You mean, protests aimed at the Nigerian Government? Um, I don't think that would achieve anything either. This is a lesson for the world, particularly the arch-lefties, not to tolerate Islamic extremism. Anywhere. Any time. Not to say "Oh, it's poverty that drives people to extremism". No, it isn't. This is just the extreme end of a spectrum of evil.
A march of support would be something. It would give people who are horrified by this a chance to make their voices heard. And I'm not sure the kidnap of hundreds of girls is the appropriate platform to bash lefties, but you go for your life anyway.
No, guest, a march is just more empty symbolism. Listen to what 'luxxe' has to say then google Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian Nobel Lauriete, and read his condemnation of Britain's lenient attitude to religious freedom and multiculturalism. We are allowing Islam to do this. We are enabling it and it will be worldwide if we don't stop it. Dancing through daisy fields of love and hope is not how the world works and it won't save our daughters and grand daughters and great grand daughters.
Well I'm not sure I recommended dancing through daisy fields as a way of returning these daughters to their parents, it's an interesting thought and I'll certainly give it some consideration. I'm presuming you and Luxxe have a master plan to overthrow religious freedom and multiculturalism, or are you going just for Islam?