Another kidnapping in Nigeria points to the Islamic militants Boko Haram. This time, reports say eight girls ages 12-15 were taken by gunmen overnight.
The incident took place in Warabe, a village located near a Boko Haram stronghold. It comes just three weeks after the group abducted more than 300 girls from a school. Some girls have escaped since, but at least 200 are still in the hands of the militants, as shown in this video released by the group Monday.
It shows Boko Haram's leader threatening to sell the children into slavery.
"I abducted your girls. ... I will sell them in the market by allah. I will sell women." (Via Time)
Voice of America reports an unnamed police source saw the latest girls "taken away on trucks, along with looted livestock and food."
Although the group's string of recent kidnappings has been making headlines lately, Boko Haram's militants have been terrorizing Nigeria for years. More importantly, critics say the Nigerian government has done little or nothing to stop them in the same time. NBC reports:
REPORTER: "Nigeria's government seems powerless to take on the militants who have been terrorizing the country since 2009, killing thousands."
RESIDENT: "They operate like their own country within a country, and they do not care, and they have more power in some ways than the government at this point." (Via NBC)
As more girls are forcefully taken, the outcry from countries around the world continues to grow. Social media has sparked groups of activists like this Facebook page titled "Bring Back Our Girls." CNN reported from a rally Tuesday in Washington D.C.:
"Now we hear about these eight more. This is a very, very frightening story. It has upset a lot of people here. I have spoken to some of the organizers and spoken to the participants and they want to see the Nigerian government do more." (Via CNN)
The U.S. government is already involved but isn't taking up military action. Monday, Press Secretary Jay Carney said:
“The State Department has been in regular touch with the Nigerian government about what we might do to help support its efforts to find and free these young women … We will continue to provide counterterrorism assistance to help Nigerian authorities develop a comprehensive approach to combating Boko Haram.” (Via The White House)
Internationally, the United Kingdom is in talks to help the Nigerian government, according to The Telegraph. And Tuesday, NDTV said the United Nations warned Boko Haram there is "no statute of limitations" if the leader carries out this threat to sell the girls as slaves.
On top of all this, world leaders are arriving in Nigeria this week to attend The World Economic Forum. Despite recent events, the forum will go on without any cancellations. Some observers have suggested Boko Haram timed the kidnappings to coincide with the conference.
