Deal with terrorists a double-edged sword for Nigeria
May 19, 2017
The release of more than 100 schoolgirls, including 82 last week, kidnapped in Chibok, Nigeria, by Boko Haram over three years ago has put the government in a quandary.
While on one front, the Nigerian government is fighting the militant Islamic sect that abducted the girls, and thousands of other civilians, it finds itself negotiating with the group on another.
An unspecified number of Boko Haram kingpins were freed in exchange for the girls.
In October, Boko Haram, seen to have the upper hand in the negotiations, released 21 of the 276 girls it abducted at gunpoint in April 2014 from a government school in the Borno State. It freed a further 82 last week.
The Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reportedly played a crucial role in the mediation which let to the girls being freed.
The ICRC is among the groups involved in helping relieve the humanitarian crisis that is a consequence of the years-long insurgency by the terrorist group.
