U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria, had twice
in July showed what appeared to be large
groups of girls held together in remote locations.
This has raised hopes among domestic and foreign officials that these girls are among the
This has raised hopes among domestic and foreign officials that these girls are among the
group
that Boko Haram abducted from the Chibok boarding school in April.
Read more after the cut.
According to the Wall Street Journal,
The surveillance suggests that at least some of the 219
schoolgirls still held captive haven't
been
forced into marriage or sex slavery, as had been feared, but instead are being
used as
bargaining chips for the release of prisoners.
who
have interacted with the Islamist insurgency: that some of Boko Haram's most
famous set of
captives
are getting special treatment, compared with the hundreds of other girls the
group is
suspected
to have kidnapped. Boko Haram appears to have seen the schoolgirls as of higher
value,
given the global attention paid to their plight, those officials said.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces re-election in February, is under political
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces re-election in February, is under political
pressure
to secure the girls' release, with some people urging him to agree to a
prisoner swap.
His government has ruled out a rescue operation, saying it is unwilling to risk the girls' lives,
His government has ruled out a rescue operation, saying it is unwilling to risk the girls' lives,
or a
prisoner swap.
"We don't exchange innocent people for criminals. That is not in the cards,"
"We don't exchange innocent people for criminals. That is not in the cards,"
said
Mr. Jonathan's spokesman, Reuben Abati, last week in an interview.
In early July, U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria spotted a group of 60 to 70 girls
In early July, U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria spotted a group of 60 to 70 girls
held in
an open field, said two U.S. defense officials. Late last month, they spotted a
set of
roughly
40 girls in a different field.
When surveillance flights returned, both sets of girls had been moved.
When surveillance flights returned, both sets of girls had been moved.
U.S.
intelligence analysts say they don't have enough information to confirm
whether
the two groups of girls they saw are the same, they said.
They also can't say whether those groups included any of the girls the group
They also can't say whether those groups included any of the girls the group
has
held since April. But U.S. and Nigerian officials said they believe they are
indeed
those schoolgirls.
"It's unusual to find a large group of young women like that in an open space,"
"It's unusual to find a large group of young women like that in an open space,"
said
one U.S. defense official. "We're assuming they're not a rock band of
hippies out there camping."
A wave of intermediaries acting on their own has tried to negotiate the girls'
A wave of intermediaries acting on their own has tried to negotiate the girls'
release,
Mr. Abati said, adding that the president has neither authorized nor
discouraged
those
efforts.
Several of those intermediaries have said Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, has
Several of those intermediaries have said Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, has
ordered
his fighters to treat the girls as valuable hostages—not sex slaves—one senior
Nigerian
security adviser said.
"He gave a directive that anybody found touching any of the girls should be killed immediately," the adviser said. "If true, it is cheering."
It would also show that Boko Haram is trying to follow an al Qaeda tactic of swapping
"He gave a directive that anybody found touching any of the girls should be killed immediately," the adviser said. "If true, it is cheering."
It would also show that Boko Haram is trying to follow an al Qaeda tactic of swapping
hostages
for money and political gain.
The group is accelerating its kidnapping of foreigners and politicians: Over the past two
The group is accelerating its kidnapping of foreigners and politicians: Over the past two
months,
it has been blamed for abducting a German expatriate, 10 Chinese laborers in
nearby
Cameroon and the wife of Cameroon's deputy prime minister.
Boko Haram has used hostages in the past to demand the exchange of its prisoners held in
Boko Haram has used hostages in the past to demand the exchange of its prisoners held in
both
Nigeria and Cameroon, which was one of the conditions for the release of a
French
family
from captivity last year.
Now, the group appears to be testing the bargaining power of a group of girls who had
Now, the group appears to be testing the bargaining power of a group of girls who had
been
ordinary teenagers at a school—until their abduction on the night of April 14.
That
night, fighters with the Islamist insurgency—which is opposed to modern
education—
stormed
a boarding school and drove 276 girls away hours before their final exams.
Fifty-seven
later escaped.
The captivity of the rest became a cause célèbre, prompting a Twitter campaign,
The captivity of the rest became a cause célèbre, prompting a Twitter campaign,
#BringBackOurGirls,
that was joined by notable figures including Michelle Obama and Hillary
Clinton. It also spurred Boko Haram's latest effort to get its captives
released from crowded
Nigerian
prisons—a long-standing grievance. Three months after seizing the girls, Boko
Haram's
leader, Mr. Shekau, appeared in a video demanding a prisoner exchange.
"You
are saying bring back our girls," thundered the bearded gunman, before
firing his
AK-47
into the air. "We are saying bring back our men!"
Dozens of demonstrators still gather in the capital each day to press for the girls' freedom.
Their rallies have become a referendum on whether Nigerian women—particularly
Dozens of demonstrators still gather in the capital each day to press for the girls' freedom.
Their rallies have become a referendum on whether Nigerian women—particularly
poor,
young, Muslim girls—are valued by a government of mostly wealthy, elderly,
Christian men.
Mr. Abati said Mr. Jonathan has worked tirelessly to win the girls' freedom.
It isn't clear how many of the girls Boko Haram can deliver. A former Nigerian president,
Mr. Abati said Mr. Jonathan has worked tirelessly to win the girls' freedom.
It isn't clear how many of the girls Boko Haram can deliver. A former Nigerian president,
Olusegun
Obasanjo, who has a history of contact with the group, has said some of the
girls are
likely
dead or pregnant. Only about 130 of them—out of 219 missing— appeared in the
sole
video
of the girls that Boko Haram has ever provided.
Meanwhile, the international effort to find the girls has waned: The U.S. military is now
Meanwhile, the international effort to find the girls has waned: The U.S. military is now
carrying
out just one surveillance flight a day, mostly by manned aircraft, totaling
only
35 to
40 hours a week, said U.S. defense officials, as drones have been shifted back
toward
other operations.
Some accounts suggest the burden of providing for scores of girls has become a point of
Some accounts suggest the burden of providing for scores of girls has become a point of
dissension
in Boko Haram's ranks.
In July, four girls and women aged 16 to 22 hid in their bedrooms as Boko Haram fighters
In July, four girls and women aged 16 to 22 hid in their bedrooms as Boko Haram fighters
broke
into their home in the town of Damboa, they each said in an interview last
week.
They
feared they would be kidnapped.
When their aunt, Fatima Abba, argued on their behalf, the roughly 20 Boko Haram insurgents
When their aunt, Fatima Abba, argued on their behalf, the roughly 20 Boko Haram insurgents
decided
not to kidnap them—and instead began to complain about the scores of
schoolgirls they
already
have.
"They are always crying. They behave like children," Ms. Abba quoted the Boko Haram
"They are always crying. They behave like children," Ms. Abba quoted the Boko Haram
fighters
as saying of the schoolgirls. "We don't want them around."
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