A guide to some of the most important issues surrounding the recent abduction of hundreds of school girls in Chibok, Nigeria. The kidnappings have resulted in international scrutiny of the Nigerian government for perceived incompetency, have raised issues regarding negotiations with terrorist groups and may even come into play in the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections.
Boko Haram is the group behind this (and other such) attack(s)…
Who is Boko Haram? What does it want, and why is the group kidnapping young girls and bombing the capital of Nigeria? Founded in 2002 by an Islamic cleric, locals gave the group the name Boko Haram, roughly meaning “Western education is forbidden,” but the official title of the group behind the recent kidnapping of 276 Nigerian girls is People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad. In short, Boko Haram is a radical group. They believe that following Islam properly necessitates the creation of an Islamic state, and that one way to make this happen is to eliminate Western, secular education such as that which the captured school girls were receiving in Chibok.
...but the U.S. State Department was reluctant to classify it as a terrorist group.
That’s where former Secretary of State and possible presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton comes into the mix. Under the auspices of then-Secretary of State Clinton, the U.S. State Department refrained from labeling Boko Haram a terrorist group. The expected barrage of critics on the right, such as Senator Marco Rubio and pundit Rush Limbaugh, came out in full force to criticize what they viewed as incompetence on Clinton’s part. Others, such as former ambassador to Nigeria Chris Campbell who worked under the Bush administration, defended the decision. Campbell stated that since Boko Haram lacks central organization, he and Clinton, ampng many others were not quick to stick the terrorist group label on Boko Haram. Current Secretary of State John Kerry did in fact classify Boko Haram as a terrorist group in 2013. Regardless of the reasoning behind Clinton’s decision and whether or not it was valid, this is likely an issue that will come back to haunt Clinton should she opt for a 2016 presidential run. It can easily be lumped in with Benghazi as a mini-scandal of sorts.
A video show the girls may still be alive…
Several media outlets reported on a video last Tuesday that appears to show the kidnapped girls alive. While the authenticity of the video could not be immediately confirmed, the video depicts the girls praying, with the the militant leader Abubakar Shekau saying that the girls have converted to Islam. While it’s good news that the girls are alive, it appears that they are being used as a bargaining chip to pressure the Nigerian government into prisoner exchanges of convicted terrorists that will complicate negotiations. A previous video released by Boko Haram took credit for the kidnapping and discussed plans to sell the girls into marriage.
...but the Nigerian government has been reluctant to take action,
Last Tuesday, the government of Nigeria made it clear that they may be willing to start to speak with the terrorists, although they have already eliminated the option of a prisoner exchange to facilitate the safe return of the girls. The government has come under fire for what some view as incompetent handling of the situation from the very beginning; an Amnesty International report claims that local officials knew about the planned attack several hours before it took place. The government has responded to criticism through President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesman who said, “We've done a lot - but we are not talking about it. We're not Americans. We're not showing people, you know, but it does not mean that we are not doing something.”
The bottom line: the U.S. and other nations and organizations have given support, but the situation is still in flux.
Worldwide reaction to the kidnappings has mounted over the past few weeks, with #bringbackourgirls trending on Twitter and setting the social media world on fire. According to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, the U.S. is currently “scouring” the recently released video of the girls for clues of their whereabouts. Britain and other countries began to chip into the efforts to rescue the girls. In addition, according to TIME Magazine, “...a team of almost 30 American officials is already in the country assisting in the investigation; it includes four Department of State advisers, 17 Department of Defense advisers and four people from the FBI.” The U.S. is willing to take steps beyond even these, with President Obama pledging military support to the Nigerian government, which has accepted Obama's offer. Beyond the U.S., the UN has threatened Boko Haram with conviction for war crimes if they go through with selling the girls. An international conference that took place Saturday brought pledges from other African countries to assist in border surveillance and promises from Western countries willing to lend technical expertise. In spite of this swell of international support, with the Nigerian government unwilling to negotiate based on Boko Haram’s specifications, the girls' situation remains precarious.