Chibok two years on: mothers say their daughters are in new Boko Haram video
Education in emergencies
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Chibok schoolgirls in the 2014 video released by Boko Haram
Three mothers of schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in northeastNigeria two years ago said they had identified their daughtersin a video released by Islamist group Boko Haram 鶹APP the firstpossible sighting of the girls since a video in May 2014.
About 15 girls featured in the video released to localofficials yesterday, saying they were from the Government GirlsSecondary School in Chibok and pleading with the Nigeriangovernment to co-operate with Boko Haram on their release.
The girls were filmed saying they were being treated wellbut wanted to go home and be with their families.
Boko Haram militants abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok onApril 14, 2014, with 57 students managing to escape but 219still missing despite the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign involving celebrities and United States First Lady Michelle Obama.
Various false leads have raised hopes of finding the girlsbut their whereabouts remains unknown.
Mothers Rifkatu Ayuba and Mary Ishaya said they recognisedtheir daughters, Saratu and Hauwa, in the video, while a thirdmother, Yana Galang, identified five of the missing girls. Localofficials said more identifications were needed.
鶹APPThe girls were looking very, very well,鶹APP Galang said in atelephone interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation afterviewing the video at a screening organised by local officials inMaiduguri, capital of Borno state in northeast Nigeria.
The three mothers were invited to the viewing by the chairmanof Chibok local government area, Bana Lawan, who confirmed thathe had paid their travel costs to Maiduguri, the state capital.
The kidnapping of the girls has become a political issue inNigeria with the government and military criticised for theirhandling of the incident and failing to track down the girls.
#BringBackOurGirls protest on first anniversary of the abduction
鶹APPThey were definitely our daughters 鶹APP all we want is forthe government to bring back our girls,鶹APP said Galang, addingall the girls were wearing hijabs in the video.
No member of Boko Haram was visible in the video and localofficials were not immediately available to give details on howthey received the video.
鶹APPWe only heard a man鶹APPs voice and saw his finger pointing atthe girls one after the other,鶹APP Galang said.
She said the girls in the video spoke in Hausa, a languagewidely spoken in Nigeria, and Kibaku, the local Chibok language.
Galang said one mother, Ayuba, was relieved to see herdaughter as she had heard a rumour shortly after the kidnappingthat her daughter had been killed by Boko Haram.
鶹APPShe was very happy to see her in the video 鶹APP her daughteris alive,鶹APP Galang said.
About 2000 girls and boys have been abducted by the BokoHaram since 2014, with many used as sex slaves, fighters andeven suicide bombers, according to Amnesty International.
This week a report from the United Nations children鶹APPs fund said Boko Haram child 鶹APPsuicide bombings鶹APP have surged11-fold in West Africa over the last year, with children asyoung as eight, mostly girls, used to bomb schools and markets. UNICEF said there were 44 child 鶹APPsuicide bombings鶹APP in WestAfrica in 2015, up from four in 2014, mostly in Cameroon andNigeria.
Boko Haram鶹APPs six-year campaign to set up an Islamic emiratein northeastern Nigeria has killed some 15,000 people, accordingto the US military.
The , the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, covers humanitarian news, women鶹APPs rights, corruption and climate change.
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