Hundreds of Girls Kidnapped in Nigeria

The kidnapping of more than 250 girls at from a school in Chibok, Nigeria on April 15 invoked many reactions worldwide. As of yet, there has not been much progress in saving the girls, but the international community has come together to do their part in helping to find and save the girls. Boko Haram has been carrying out intensified attacks since February 2014, and the kidnapping was just another act of terrorism in a series of attacks.

▲ Michelle Obama showed her support for the missing girls | Twitter: The fi

The international community reacted strongly to the kidnapping and demanded action to be taken. In the United States (U.S.), many popular figures, including First Lady Michelle Obama and famous soccer player Alex Morgan, could be seen taking pictures with a sign that read “#BringBackOurGirls” to spread awareness of the kidnapping. Such pictures became very popular on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and many other celebrities followed the trend to show their support for the rescue of the kidnapped girls.

Admittedly, civilians do not have much power to influence Boko Haram, the terrorist organization responsible for the kidnapping. But the international response has not been limited to just civilians. The United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ki Moon Ban and the UN Security Council condemned the attack and warned that forceful action will be taken against Boko Haram for the kidnapping. However, the UN has taken no military action as of yet.

After the kidnapping, Boko Haram stated that girls should be married instead of being in school according to Islam traditions. Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau said, “Allah instructed me to sell them. [...] I will carry out his instructions.” In response to these claims, Islam leaders around the world protested against Boko Haram and accused the terrorists of smearing the name of Islam. To begin with, the president of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria called on Muslims to fast and pray “in order to seek Allah’s intervention in this precarious time.” The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has also called for prayer to rescue the girls. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh, described Boko Haram as “misguided.” He stated that Islam is against kidnapping, and that marrying kidnapped girls is not permitted under Islam rules.

Finally, the governments of a few nations around the world offered to help the Nigerian government find and rescue the girls. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated that the Iranian government “has offered to help Nigeria resolve the issue of the abduction of nearly 300 female students in the African country by the Takfiri terrorist group, Boko Haram.” The Chinese government offered to provide any satellite and intelligence data that could be useful in the rescue efforts. The United Kingdom has agreed to send experts to Nigeria to assist with planning, coordinating, and advising local authorities in Nigeria. The experts, who will serve strictly non-military roles, will be drawn from various departments, including the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defense, and the Department of International Development. France also offered similar help.

From North America, Canada has also offered assistance, but the extent of the involvement is unknown. The U.S. sent around 80 military and law enforcement officers to aid intelligence, negotiations, and victim assistance to a base in Chad. More recently, the U.S. Department of Defense announced its deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles and 80 U.S. Air Force personnel to Chad, which, due to its geographic location, gives them access to northern Nigeria. Israel, along with its own intelligence experts, also used a Beechcraft C-12 Huron aircraft for reconnaissance.

There have been many cries for more help from the U.S., including the possible use of the U.S. Special Forces in a daring rescue operation. However, the U.S. government has made it clear that they do not plan to send any more personnel and that they will not become too involved. Moreover, their use of drones in Nigeria has run into legal issues, as there is a law that bars the U.S. military from helping certain governments. Moreover, the U.S. government has been cautious in sharing intelligence data with the Nigerian military.

Given that Boko Haram is better organized and better armed than the Nigerian military, there is no doubt that the international community will play a crucial role in bringing a happy ending to this troubling situation. But with the hesitancy of direct military involvement by other governments, whether or not the Nigerian government will be able to successfully rescue the girls is still in question. 

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