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Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Nigeria kidnap: David Cameron joins 'Bring Back Our Girls' campaign

Prime Minister David Cameron has promised Britain "will do what we can" to help find more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls.

He made the comments as he held a sign bearing the "#Bring Back Our Girls" slogan on the BBC's Andrew Marr show.

Mr Cameron is the latest high-profile supporter of the social media campaign after US First Lady Michelle Obama was pictured with a similar poster.

The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has claimed the abductions.

During the programme, fellow guest Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international correspondent, handed Mr Cameron the sign and asked if he would like to join the campaign.

Taking it from her, he replied: "Happily."

Mr Cameron later tweeted: "Proud to support #BringBackOurGirls."

'Immensely complicated'

He told the BBC One programme: "I rang the Nigerian president to offer anything that would be helpful and we agreed to send out a team that includes some counter-terrorism and intelligence experts to work alongside the bigger American team that's going out there.

"We stand ready to do anything more that the Nigerians would want."

He said it was unlikely Nigeria would ask for British troops to help but added: "I said to President Jonathan where we can help, please ask, and we will see what we can do."

New Zealand in support of the 276 Nigerian school girls who were abducted last month.

Rallies have been held around New Zealand in support of the 276 Nigerian school girls who were abducted last month.

They came as the Nigerian government agreed to start negotiating with the terrorist group behind the kidnappings.

When 270 high school girls take to the street, you notice - and that's exactly what Wellington Girls' College students who protested in the city today wanted.

"We've tried to get 270 and I've asked the girls to make signs about the 270 because we want to make a point, a statement that you can't miss 270 girls who've gone missing," says pupil Dawape Giwa-Isekeije.

The Year 13 student organised the march to Parliament - with the same number of girls as those kidnapped last month in Nigeria.

"These are our sisters and these are our girls and we can't stand for something like this to happen anywhere in the world and as young girls in our world, in our society and the privileges that we have we must stand up for other people," she says.

They were not the only ones marching as people also took to the streets in Auckland and Christchurch.

Another march was held in Wellington - which joined with the school girls at parliament.

Despite the miserable Wellington weather, several hundred people have shown up and for many of them this is a cause which hits close to home.

One of them was Giwa-Isekeije's mother - she wants the New Zealand Government to do more.

"I have a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old and I go to bed every night wondering what the parents of these 276 children must go through not knowing where their children are," she says.

The New Zealand Government has condemned the actions of militant group Boko Haram but is unlikely to provide support to the Nigerian government.

"The Government is deeply concerned by the actions of Boko Haram. It is one of the reasons the Government actually listed Boko Haram as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Suppression Act," Prime Minister John Key said yesterday.

At Dunedin's Columba College girls started a campaign on social media and held a white ribbon day.

"What we're trying to do is raise awareness and show support. We going by the [idea] that awareness creates change and we want to Nigerian Government to know that the whole world is watching and supporting," says pupil Caitlin Addison.

The Nigerian government now says it will consider negotiating with Boko Haram.

It has been confirmed all of the girls in one video released on Sunday have been identified as those who were kidnapped.