Nigeria abductions: Michelle Obama "outraged"
US First Lady Michelle Obama said her family was "outraged and heartbroken"
US
First Lady Michelle Obama has said the mass kidnap of Nigerian
schoolgirls is part of a wider pattern of threats and intimidation
facing girls around the world who pursue an education.
She praised the Nigerian girls' bravery for returning to their school in the face of previous threats. Mrs Obama has been an outspoken campaigner for their release. In an unusual move, she delivered her husband's weekly radio address.
More than 200 girls remain captive.
The Islamist group Boko Haram said it carried out the 14 April attack on the girls' school in Chibok, in the north-eastern state of Borno.
'Call to action'
Boko Haram at a glance
Mrs Obama, who was speaking ahead
of Mother's Day in the US on Sunday, said the girls reminded her and
her husband of their own daughters.
"What happened in Nigeria 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," she said. She cited the Pakistani schoolgirl and campaigner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head for speaking out for girls' education.
"The courage and hope embodied by Malala and girls like her around the world should serve as a call to action," Mrs Obama said.
"Like millions of people across the globe, my husband and I are outraged and heartbroken over the kidnapping."
The UN Security Council expressed outrage over the abductions, saying it would consider "appropriate measures" against Boko Haram. The US is seeking to have UN sanctions imposed on the group.
Michelle Obama has often appeared alongside her husband during the weekly address, which is broadcast on radio with a video version available online. This is the first time she has delivered the speech alone.
Michelle Obama has been actively campaigning for the release of the girls
First ladies normally refrain from outspoken foreign policy remarks.
Western help A small number of US and British experts have now started arriving in Nigeria to assist with rescue efforts.
A senior US......
official said Washington was also considering a Nigerian request for surveillance aircraft.
British High Commissioner Andrew Pocock said drones could help gather intelligence but urged caution.
He told the BBC's Today programme: "The eye in the sky, even if it were able to be focused on the spot, isn't a panacea."
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Friday he believed the schoolgirls were still in his country and had not been moved to neighbouring Cameroon.
Amnesty International on Friday claimed Nigeria's military had advance warning of the raid but failed to act.
Nigeria's authorities say they "doubt the veracity" of the human rights group's claim.
Boko Haram has admitted capturing the girls, saying they should not have been in school and should get married instead.
In a video, group leader Abubakar Shekau threatened to "sell" the students.
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language, began its insurgency in Borno state in 2009.
At least 1,200 people are estimated to have died in the violence this year alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment