Members of some 20 civil society organisations in Senegal marched in Dakar on Saturday to demand the release of the girls abducted on April 14 by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in northern Nigeria.
The protesters, dressed in red, numbering over 100, shouted: “Release our sisters! Release our daughters!”
They hurled hostile slogans at Boko Haram, while many others carried banners on which were written: “Bring Back Our Girls.”
A young Senegalese student, Seynabou Thiam, said she did not wish to be in the situation of the abducted girls “because it is very difficult to get separated from our parents.”
Thiam expressed the hope that the mobilisation would reap its fruits with the help of God.
Another student, Mouhamadou Bocoum, said that he was shocked by the abductions.
Bocoum said: “War is not prosecuted by abducting children.
“I do not understand how we can convert Christians to Moslems by force, as announced by the leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau.”
According to him, members of Boko Haram are criminals because abduction is a crime.
“They say they do it in the name of religion but Islam has never recommended abduction of children and to convert them by force,” Bocoum added.
Soukeyna Ndao, a member of the Association of Senegalese Jurists, regretted the weak mobilisation of African governments against the massive abduction of girl-students.
“I would have liked to see all African states protesting against this situation, unfortunately, the voices are not heard,” Ndao grieved.
She pledged that the Senegalese civil society organisations would keep the pressure on to call government’s attention to the incident with a view to making efforts at bringing back the girls safe and sound.
In another but related development, Angie Motshekga, South Africa’s Minister of Youth Education, said women in that country would light candles at Nigerian mission in Pretoria on May 19 until the kidnapped Chibok girls regained freedom.
Motshekga, the President of Women’s League of African National Congress, made this known on phone with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday.
She said: “South African people, the women in particular, stand with Nigeria at this difficult time.”
She added that the women had plans to send a delegation to Nigeria to meet with the Government to see how they could be of assistance to the country.
“We want to ensure that violence against women and children in Africa is stopped,” she said.
NAN reports that some South African women staged a rally in Johannesburg on Saturday calling for the release of the abducted female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
The rally took place at the Johannesburg City Hall.
The President of Nigerian Union in South Africa, Ikechukwu Anyene, also told NAN on phone that they were happy with the support shown by South Africans on the Chibok students.
Anyene said: “We are happy with the support by our South African brothers and sisters and the way they have stood for Nigeria in this difficult time.
“The ‘bring back our girls’ rally had been held in three South African provinces while more will be held in other provinces within the week.”
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