Boko Haram Kidnaps 60 Women Days After Truce Announced in Nigeria
Days after the Nigerian government announced a truce with Islamic extremists Boko Haram, a suspected group of militants has reportedly kidnapped 60 women from two villages, Bloomberg reported.
The kidnapping was reported over the weekend, and the truce was announced Friday.
Nigeria's chief of defense staff, Alex Badeh, had announced that a cease-fire had been agreed on between the two parties and that Boko Haram had agreed to return the 200 schoolgirls, which had been kidnapped in April.
The negotiations had been mediated by Chad.
Following the announcement, the world waiting for any word or hint of confirmation from the militants, but no such public statement was released. Critical comments filled with doubt filled social media sites.
The women were taken from an area that has been under militant control for two months in the Madagali district of the northeastern state of Adamawa.
Officials have not been reached for comment regarding this latest kidnapping.
But the country just approved a $1 million bond to increase their armed forces since they are fighting battles internally.
"Today's counter-insurgency operations represent complex and unpredictable battles against enemies, often concealed within civilian populations," President Goodluck Jonathon said.
U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters on Oct. 20 that the negotiations were still ongoing for the release of the schoolgirls, Bloomberg reported.
Boko Haram has been continuously wreaking havoc in Nigeria since 2009 and received global attention with the kidnapping of the girls since April.
Nigerians around the world took to social media to garner support to encourage the government to push for the return of the girls, claiming that the federal government is corrupt and likely isn't doing enough to bring the girls back.
The social media hashtag #BringBackOurGirls went viral at the time, and yet half a year later there is still no word on the girls' whereabouts or condition. The militants have threatened to sell the girls, who were taken from the Chibok region, into slavery.
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