ICC Note: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that he is willing to hold negotiations with Boko Haram in order to free the kidnapped Chibok girls. Commenting from Washington D.C. after meeting with President Obama to discuss plans on defeating Boko Haram, Buhari explained that the willingness to negotiate would depend on the credibility of the Boko Haram representatives. He added that freeing the more than 200 Chibok girls is the governments’ main security objective. The Chibok girls have been held captive by Boko Haram since their abduction in April of 2014. The Chibok girls, who are predominantly Christian, have been exposed to unthinkable atrocities. According to reports, some of the girls have been brainwashed to join Boko Haram, killed for not recanting their faith, used as force suicide bombers, and forced into sexual slavery.
7/22/15, Nigeria (BBC) – Nigeria’s new president has said he is willing to negotiate with Boko Haram leaders for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped last year.
Muhammadu Buhari told CNN it would depend on the credibility of those saying they represented the Islamist militant group.
“Our main objective as a government is to secure these girls safe and safe,” he said during a visit to the US.
A previous prisoner-swap attempt for the girls’ release ended in failure.
The kidnap of the girls from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok in April 2014 sparked global outrage.
The mass abduction sparked one of the biggest social media campaigns last year, with the Twitter #BringBackOurGirls being used more than five million times.
Boko Haram, thought to be responsible for more than 10,000 deaths since 2009, has stepped up attacks since Mr Buhari took office in May, vowing to tackle the insurgency “head on”.
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