A
prisoner exchange deal between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram is said
to have succeeded as the terrorists have reportedly agreed to release the
abducted girls
According
to reports, Boko Haram
has agreed to release the over 200 girls who were kidnapped from Chibok. The condition
for this is the simultaneous release of 18 key members of the terrorist sect.
The
initial arrangement was supposedly a plan to exchange the imprisoned Boko Haram
members for only a few of the girls but this has reportedly been reviewed.
The
talks were said to have been moderated by officials of the Red Cross and
attended by representatives of both sides.
According
to The Nation Newspaper, the sect threatened that any attempt to rescue the
girls by force might lead to fatalities.
One
of those who attended the talks reportedly said:
“The sect shifted its position and
agreed to release all the girls instead of 30 Christian married girls it had
promised. But Boko Haram said it does not trust the government going by
previous experience.
“If the government had respected previous talks, the
Chibok girls were initially meant to be off the hook during the Eid-el Fitr
festival. Again about two weeks ago, a delegation was already in Maiduguri
until the swap deal was bungled.
“By the new arrangement, ICRC will pick up the
girls and simultaneously hand over the detained 18 leaders to Boko Haram.
“The government also said it would not free the detained
leaders of Boko Haram until all the girls were released.
“After the Eid-el-Kabir festival, the
two parties will meet again on the terms to finalise the agreement or part
ways.
The
Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped on April 14, 2014 leading to an international
outcry for their rescue using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
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