Militants of a radical Islamist group called Boko Haram opened fire as they drove into Dapchi, Nigeria, on machine-gun mounted trucks. They then entered a boarding school and kidnapped more than a hundred girls. Soon after the attack, the Yobe state government claimed that the army had rescued dozens of girls, which led to celebration in Dapchi. However, the government issued a retraction the following day, saying that the girls had not been found or rescued. On top of that, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari took a week to acknowledge the missing girls and to launch a search. There is also evidence that the government knew that Boko Haram was planning mass abductions in the Yobi State weeks before it occurred. Instead of tightening security in the area, the military withdrew troops from Dapchi a week before the attack. The UN has condemned the abduction of the schoolgirls but hasn’t taken action against Boko Haram.
Discussion Questions
Should the Nigerian government negotiate with Boko Haram?
The seven-year insurgency in Nigeria has left 20,000 dead and two million people homeless. Does this warrant the involvement of the UN?
Should Buhari be impeached for mishandling this situation?
I believe that the Nigerian government definitely needs to be cautious and attempt negotiation with Boko Haram, But should not pay ransom for the girls. As that would promote more kidnappings. On the other hand, the insurgency in Nigeria definitely warrants UN support that is needed. as Boko haram should not be able to spread.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Buhari should be impeached for mishandling this situation. As a leader of a country, one should not lie to his or her people, being honest to the people you represent is an obligation, not a choice. The family and friends of the girls have a right to know what happened to their daughters, without doubt that the government is lying to them. I agree with Jung Haye that paying ransoms for the girls would promote more kidnappings, but how else would you get them back? The answer to that lies in eliminating the extremist groups that initiate these attacks against innocent people. It is extremely hard to negotiate with people who do not have the same values or beliefs as you do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jung Haye in that negotiations with Boko Haram are absolutely necessary, but it is unclear what kind of effect it would have as negotiating with radicals is inherently dangerous and unlikely to produce any desirable effect. In fact, it may endanger the girls' lives as radical groups often execute or behead prisoners as publicity stunts. On the point of UN involvement, I disagree as this latest development doesn't necessarily warrant UN involvement insomuch as it reveals that the government needs to be much more careful and committed to defending its citizens. UN involvement is also not likely to do anything as peacekeeping forces are often inadequate to defend against attacks of this scale. Nonetheless, Buhari's delayed response is as good as none and should lead to some kind of punishment if not impeachment, as, as Charlotte put it, "being honest to the people is an obligation and not a choice." In fact, many Nigerian people are asking for him to exit the currently ongoing presidential race due to his unpopularity and his unsatisfactory handling of events like this.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the UN shouldn’t send peacekeeping forces into Nigeria, they can still aid the Nigerian government against Boko Haram by giving them money or military supplies without being directly involved in the conflict. The problem with that is that the Nigerian government might use the resources and money for purposes other than to defeat Boko Haram. I also agree that Buhari should be impeached for his incompetence, but he is quickly replaced, Boko Haram can take advantage of the temporary lack of leadership and carry out more attacks.
DeleteI agree with that the negotiations is a must with the Boko Haram. However, there is still confusion with lies and truth. These strong leaders should only tell nothing else but the truth. I think that the UN is not responsible for death and homeless people. This huge number of deaths and homeless people is something the government should take care of. I do believe that the UN should support the issues that are occurring. I agree with Kevin that "Buhari's delayed response is as good as non and should lead to some kind of punishment". In conclusion, many people dislike Buhari strongly and I completely agree with that.
ReplyDeleteI think he should be impeached. He did not respond quickly to the kidnappings, and he tried demoting them to just people going missing. How is 110 girls gone when armed militants showed up and put them in their trucks classified as missing peoples? Their government needs to be more confident and act on problems quicker. They let 110 school girls get kidnapped.
ReplyDelete