Obama denounces Nigeria abductions of schoolgirls

AFP/LagosUS First Lady Michelle Obama has denounced as an “unconscionable act” the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls by Islamic militants as a mobilised international community helped with the search effort.For the first time standing in for President Barack Obama on his weekly Saturday morning address, she said that they were both “outraged and heartbroken” over the mass abduction from a school dormitory in a remote corner of northern Nigeria last month.Their sentiments were shared by “millions of people across the globe”, she said.This violence “was not an isolated incident ... it’s a story we see every day as girls around the world risk their lives to pursue their ambitions”, Michelle Obama said. “This unconscionable act was committed by a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education – grown men attempting to snuff out the aspirations of young girls.”On April 14, 276 schoolgirls were abducted in the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok, with eight more seized from Warabe on May 5. Three weeks later 223 girls are still missing.The Islamist militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility, and threatened to “sell” the girls into slavery.The abductions have sparked offers of help from the United States, France, Britain and China.Seven military officials from the US Africa regional command AFRICOM along with a State Department expert arrived in Nigeria on Friday. Seven more, including FBI personnel, were expected this weekend.“They’ll be providing technical and investigatory assistance, helping with hostage negotiations, advising on military planning and operations and assisting with intelligence and information,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.Among the help on offer would be intelligence-sharing as the teams work to track down the girls, who range in age from 16 to 18.Sources close to French President Francois Hollande told AFP yesterday that the French team of experts were now on the ground.“The French mission including experts, human and technical information specialists as well as observation and image analysis equipment arrived in Nigeria today,” said the source. “If necessary we will reinforce it.”Britain said on Wednesday that it would send a small team to Nigeria to concentrate on planning, co-ordination and advice to local authorities rather than operations on the ground to look for the girls.China has promised to supply “any useful information acquired by its satellites and intelligence services” to Nigeria.Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, whose silence after the abductions was sharply criticised, said on Friday that a search team was already at work in Sambisa forest, near Chibok, with remote sensors trying to locate the kidnappers and their victims.The US and officials in Chibok voiced concern that the girls might have been moved to neighbouring Chad and Cameroon.But Jonathan said on Friday that he believes the girls were still in Nigeria, possibly in the Sambisa forest.The abductions have also led to a growing social media campaign with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls joined by public figures and celebrities.The Financial Times published yesterday an open letter signed by 50 leading personalities, including former world leaders as well as the singer Bono, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus who have called on the international community to do everything to ensure the return of the pupils.“We urge all local, national and regional governments, with the full support of the international community, to dedicate their expertise and resources ... to #BringBackOurGirls,” it read.Other signatories of the letter were the former presidents of Brazil, Mexico, Mozambique, Mauritius, Tanzania, Botswana, Liberia, Cape Verde, and Ireland along with CNN founder Ted Turner, Virgin founder Richard Branson, Unilever chief executive Paul Polman, and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu.Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also signed the letter, as have numerous United Nations officials.Nigerian army posts two divisions to hunt for missing girlsNigeria’s army has posted two divisions to hunt for 200 schoolgirls abducted last month by Islamist rebels in an attack condemned globally including by US First Lady Michelle Obama yesterday.The soldiers are stationed in the border region close to Chad, Cameroon and Niger to work with other security agencies, said General Chris Olukolade, spokesman for the Defence Headquarters.The government of President Goodluck Jonathan has faced criticism for its slow response since Boko Haram militants stormed a secondary school in the village of Chibok, near the Cameroon border, on April 14, and kidnapped the girls, who were taking exams.Fifty have escaped but more than 200 remain with the insurgents.“The facilities of the Nigerian Army signals as well as all the communication facilities of the Nigerian Police and all the services have been devoted into co-ordinating this search,” Olukolade said in a statement. “The major challenge remains the fact that some of the information given here turned out in many occasions to be misleading .... nevertheless, this will not discourage the collaborative efforts that are on-going.”The air force has flown more than 250 sorties, a signals unit and the police are involved and a multinational task force has also been activated and surveillance equipment is deployed in support of 10 search teams, he said.The US, Britain, France, China and international police agency Interpol have all offered assistance.