This is some really grim news, but apparently the islamic militant group Boko Haram (whose abduction of 273 schoolgirls launched the worldwide #bringbackoutgirls campaign) – appear to have struck again. On Tuesday, barely two months after the abduction of the schoolgirls first raised global awareness of terrorism in West Africa and the day after a the launch of a campaign tohelp vulnerable children in our own country, 60 schoolgirls and women and 30 schoolboys have reportedly be kidnapped by the group.
Leaders from vigilante groups in the area where the 90 people have gone missing said that the kidnappings happened in Kummabza village in Borno — the state where the bulk of the Boko Haram attacks have happened since 2009, marking the beginning of the violent insurgency. Apparently four prisoners who tried to escaped have been killed.
If the militant group are actually responsible for the attack, it would be Boko Haram’s second violent assault on innocent civilians in one week, as on Monday it was reported that they bombed a medical school in Kano, killing eight people in injuring 20.
The news is just too horrible for words, really, and our thoughts go out to the families of the abducted. We hope that renewed and ongoing international interest will, at the very least, put pressure on the group to release some of the prisoners.
You can sign the Change.org peition to #bringbackourgirls here.
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Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.