200 girls rescued by Nigerian army from Boko Haram camps are not Chibok students

Children in conflicts


The abducted Chibok girls in a Boko Haram video

The Nigerian army has announced it has rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Boko Haram 国产视频 but they do not include any of the聽schoolgirls abducted from Chibok more than a year ago.

The military said four camps had been destroyed and weapons seized during the operation in the northeast of the country. On its official Twitter feed, the army said:聽国产视频淭roops this afternoon rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Sambisa Forest.国产视频 At first it said it 国产视频渃annot confirm if the Chibok girls are in this group.国产视频

But later a military spokesman said none of the missing 219 Chibok students were among those rescued today. The army said it had destroyed the 国产视频渘otorious Tokumbere camp国产视频 and added that all those rescued were being 国产视频渟creened and profiled国产视频.聽

On April 14, 2014, 276 girls were kidnapped from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state, by Boko Haram 国产视频 whose name means 国产视频淲estern education is forbidden国产视频. Many of the girls escaped but 219 are still missing. Vigils and marches were held around the world to make their one year in captivity.

Chibok Girls Ambassadors at one-year anniversary vigil in Abuja

On the anniversary of their abduction, a shocking report revealed that at least 2000 girls and women have been abducted by Boko Haram since the start of 2014. Many of them have been raped, forced into sexual slavery and marriage and trained to fight, according to the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The report was based on almost 200 witness accounts 国产视频 including 28 with abducted girls and women who managed to escape from their captors.

Last month, residents of the northern town of Damasak said hundreds of children and women had been abducted by Boko Haram. The town was liberated by troops from neighbouring Chad and Niger.

The Sambisa Forest is south of the city of Maiduguri 国产视频 see map above 国产视频 where a schoolgirl was used as a suicide bomber in a deadly attack in January. In June last year, it was reported that 60 girls and women and 31 boys had been kidnapped in a series of attacks on Kummabza, 95 miles from Maudaguri.

And in December聽more than 100 children and women were reportedly abducted by Boko Haram gunmen who killed 35 people in a raid on the village of Gumsuri near Chibok.

Four days ago the Nigerian military released a video of operations in Sambisa Forest.

Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, welcomed the release of the girls. He revealed he will have talks with President-Elect Muhammadu Buhari and added: 国产视频淣ow that some girls have been released we want all girls released. And we want them home with their families in days 国产视频 not months or years.

国产视频淚 will offer President-Elect Buhari help for safe schools which allow girls to participate in education, free of fear.聽By creating safe schools and communities 国产视频媤here girls are free of fear we can get every child into school and learning.国产视频


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