Gordon Brown has called for international military assistance, such as air support, to be offered to the Nigerian government in the hunt for about 200 teenage girls abducted by Islamist militants from a school more than two weeks ago.
The former prime minister said he had approached the British government to discuss the possibility of military assistance. Asked if he anticipated a positive response, he said: “I think people will want to help, yes.”
Stressing the urgency of locating the girls, Mr Brown said: "The international community must do something to protect these girls. We could provide military help to the Nigerians to track down the whereabouts of the girls before they're dispersed throughout Africa – like air support, for example, if that was thought necessary."
Mr Brown will meet Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja next week to discuss the abduction. He declined to say whether he planned to travel to the remote and dangerous Borno province in the north of the country, from which the girls were kidnapped on April 14th.
Criticism
Amid widespread criticism in Nigeria of the government's failure to locate the girls, Mr Brown said his intention was to support Mr Jonathan.
“I’m not prepared to criticise the Nigerian government... The sensible way of dealing with this is to help the Nigerian government to deal with a problem in their own country that is very substantial.”
The girls, aged 16-18, were snatched during the night from dormitories at a school in Chibok. Parents and local activists put the number at 230, of whom more than 40 managed to escape from trucks transporting them into the forest. The rest are still missing.
The provincial government in Borno initially said 129 girls were abducted, of whom 52 escaped. The violent jihadi organisation Boko Haram is believed to be responsible.– (Guardian service)