KENYA: Kenyans demand more action to secure release of abducted Nigerian girls.

Record ID: 236750

  • Title: KENYA: Kenyans demand more action to secure release of abducted Nigerian girls.
  • Date: 15th May 2014
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (MAY 15, 2014) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS MARCHING ALONG NAIROBI STREETS CHANTING AND WAVING PLACARDS MORE OF THE PROTEST MARCH NIGERIAN HIGH COMMISSION SIGN PROTESTERS APPROACHING THE NIGERIAN HIGH COMMISSION GATE CHANTING PROTESTERS PLACARD READING "30 DAYS AND COUNTING! #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS" (SOUNDBITE) (English) FEMNET HEAD OF ADVOCACY, NAISOLA LIKIMANI, SAYING: "We want to see the African union pressure the Nigerian government to actually take action. We cannot always rely on people from other continents to support us. These are our own citizens therefore we must be the ones to take action." CHANTING PROTESTERS OUTSIDE OF THE NIGERIAN HIGH COMMISSION COMPOUND MORE OF CHANTING PROTESTERS PLACARD READING "NO TO PATRIARCHY. NO TO FUNDAMENTALISM. #BringBackOurGirls" (SOUNDBITE) (English) KENNEDY ODHIAMBO, PROTESTER, SAYING: "Its only promises and hope they are giving the citizens but no action is being taken which is disturbing because they are mandated to take to protect and to serve the citizens of their country. So if you are not able to protect your citizens, then you are failing as a government, and you should resign." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MORE OF PROTESTERS PLACARD READING "HISTORY WILL JUDGE YOU BY YOUR INACTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) FEMNET HEAD OF ADVOCACY, NAISOLA LIKIMANI, SAYING: "Women's bodies have been used as battle grounds for many, many years on this continent, and we have been screaming and crying about it with very little response, now it has even been used in terrorism and this is unacceptable. These are the lives of our future. More than 50 percent of this continent are girls. What is going to happen to our continent if we continue to allow our girls to be enslaved, to be trafficked and to be abused?" VARIOUS OF PROTESTER CARRYING A BOX READING "30 DAYS AND COUNTING" YOUNG GIRLS AT DEMONSTRATION
  • Embargoed: 30th May 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVASJPL1X3JDES8I31XA8VNZVH7
  • Story Text: About 100 protesters took to the streets of Nairobi on Thursday (May 15) to call for the release of over 200 girls, abducted by Islamist rebel group Boko Haram in Nigeria.
    The protesters marched to the Nigerian High Commission in Kenya's capital carrying placards reading "where are my sisters?" and the hashtag that has consolidated worldwide condemnation of the abduction on social media - #Brinbackourgirls.
    Rebels stormed a school in the northeastern village of Chibok a month ago and seized 276 girls who were taking exams.
    Some have escaped, but about 200 remain missing.
    The protesters accused Nigerian authorities of delayed reaction to the kidnap and the African Union of all round inaction.
    "We want to see the African union pressure the Nigerian government to actually take action. We cannot always rely on people from other continents to support us. These are our own citizens therefore we must be the ones to take action," said FEMNET head of advocacy, Naisola Likimani.
    Publicity over the abductions has cast a harsh spotlight on Nigerian military efforts to secure the girls' release and quash the insurgency and also opened an avenue for diplomatic and security cooperation.
    Several countries, including the United States, Britain, France and China, have offered support to Nigeria to help find the girls.
    "Its only promises and hope they are giving the citizens but no action is being taken which is disturbing because they are mandated to take to protect and to serve the citizens of their country. So if you are not able to protect your citizens, then you are failing as a government, and you should resign," said Kennedy Odhiambo, a protester.
    Boko Haram's five-year-old insurgency is aimed at reviving a medieval Islamic caliphate in modern Nigeria, whose 170 million people are split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims, and it is becoming by far the biggest security threat to Africa's top oil producer.
    On Monday, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau released a video showing some of the girls in captivity and offered to swap them with imprisoned militants from the group.
    Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan has rejected the offer but the government is open to broader talks with the rebels, officials say.
    Activists condemn the abduction of the girls and are calling for an end to the leverage of women in Africa's conflicts.
    "Women's bodies have been used as battle grounds for many, many years on this continent, and we have been screaming and crying about it with very little response, now it has even been used in terrorism and this is unacceptable. These are the lives of our future. More than 50 percent of this continent are girls. What is going to happen to our continent if we continue to allow our girls to be enslaved, to be trafficked and to be abused," said Likimani.
    The protest in Nairobi was organised by a group of NGO's including FEMNET and Akili Dada, a leadership incubator that helps underprivileged girls on the continent.
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