Nigerian Government Willing To Negotiate With Boko Haram

Nigerian Government Willing To Negotiate With Boko Haram

One month after the kidnapping of over 200 school girls that provoked international outrage, the government of Nigeria has indicated that it was willing to negotiate with the Boko Haram. Tanamu Turaki, Minister of Special Duties, revealed that the window for negotiations with the Islamic militants is still open.

However, senior officials indicated that it is not making any commitments in negotiating with the militants following the release of a video by Abubakar Shekau, leader of the group. Although Turaki did not comment on possible negotiations, he made references to an amnesty committee established by President Goodluck Jonathan last year.

The initial mandate of the committee expired after six months without any formal talks with the group. Boko Haram is responsible for the death of thousands since 2009. It also caused the destabilization of some areas in the northeastern part of Nigeria.

An international social media campaign resulted from the abduction, which led Britain, Israel, France, and the United States to offer assistance to the Nigerian government. A US surveillance aircraft flew over the areas where the school girls were held. Although some of the captives were Christians, the video showed them wearing Islamic veils while chanting and singing Muslim prayers.

It remains uncertain if the video was filmed in the same location as the kidnapped school girls. The video shows Shekau with an AK-47 on his hands while sitting in front of a green-colored backdrop. It also shows a number of the school girls who were abducted from a school in Chibok, Borno state.

President Jonathan returned on Tuesday after discussions with Congo Republic President Denis Sassou. Due to continuous attacks by Boko Haram, President Jonathan asked for an extension to the state of emergency on a number of northeastern Nigerian states.

The proposal was rejected by Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe state since the people experience suffering during the state of emergency, which affected the counter-insurgency strategy of the government. Thousands of government troops were sent into the region following accusations of slow response to the abduction.

Law enforcement experts were sent by Washington to provide assistance to the Nigerian government in its efforts in rescuing the abducted school girls. Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state said parents and fellow students were able to identify 77 of the abducted girls shown in the video released by the Boko Haram.

Posted by James Fried on Friday May 16 2014, 8:06 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0